A Royal Story
by SandsnakeQueen
Summary: When Prince Gaara & his royal siblings are given a mission by their father, the Wind King, that takes them to the Fire Kingdom of Konoha, the three begin a journey that isn't for the fate of heart, and filled with unexpected surprises. Think of this tale as a 'royal' spin on the classic canon storyline, but with the Sand Siblings, mainly Gaara, as the main characters.
1. The Mission

**A/N: Okay, this is another story of mine that I'm rewriting. The original story 'The Wind Prince & the Fire Princess' had a good run, but I just felt that it could have been done better if it had gone another route. It was too far in to change things, so I have decided to discontinue and rewrite it, which is where this new story comes in, one that's going in a way different direction than my old one. This story will also carry the 'royal' theme the original had, as well as some original characters like my Fire Princess, but it's actually going to fall in a little bit more with the classic canon storyline that we all know and love, with a few changes here and there. I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **P.S. Some characters that are usually dead in the canon storyline will be alive here in this one. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: The Mission

 _Many years ago, during a time simply known as the Warring States period, all that was to be seen across the various lands was strife, resentment, and worst of all, war. Various shinobi clans, most with powers that mere mortals could even dream of, battled each other to the death over territory, money, and most of all, power. However, in time, certain clans began to rise above the rest. They used their powers to end the wars and unite the clans together in to vast kingdoms. The clans that managed to rise above all others became the ruling families of their respective kingdoms, all of them ruling over their territory with a keen eye and an iron fist._

 _Out of the many kingdoms that formed, there were five that grew to become major powers within the shinobi lands. There was the Water Kingdom, Kirigakure, to the east, the Lightning Kingdom, Kumogakure, to the northeast, the Earth Kingdom, Iwagakure, in the northwest, and the largest of them all, the Fire Kingdom, Konohagakure, in the center._

 _However, this little story will begin in the fifth kingdom, the Wind Kingdom, Sunagakure, in the southwest, where right now, a certain young royal sat on the roof of the largest building in the main city, his eyes staring right at the full moon overhead. . ._

 **x-X-x**

The full moon hung in the night sky like a gleaming beacon, shining its heavenly light down on the sleepy main village of the kingdom surrounded by both wind and sand. Most of the village's inhabitants had already gone to bed to rest for the night, but there were those that remained awake, from the village guards to those that had a hand in some of the village's shadier dealings. All of them could sleep, but for whatever reasons they had, they chose not to.

All, except for one . . .

That one lone person was silently sitting on the highest roof of the Wind Palace, a building that was made out of the finest stones that could be found throughout the desert. That lone person didn't have a choice in whether to sleep or not. He had lost it before he was even born. The dark rings that rimmed his jade green eyes were proof of the many years he spent living through sleepless night after sleepless night. If he even tried to even take the smallest of naps, it could lead to disaster, not only for him, but for the entire kingdom as he knew it . . .

. . . Or, that's what the legends supposedly say.

 _How long are you going to continue to mope around like this? You've been sitting in the exact same position for more than two hours now! How long are you going to keep this up? Your inactivity is boring me to tears._

The silent green eyed roof dweller let out a small breath as he listened to the voice that bellowed from somewhere within his mind, the agitation and restlessness evident in its tone as he brushed a hand through his blood red hair.

" _It's nice to know that you are capable of showing some concern for my well-being Shukaku,"_ said the redhead as he continued to look at the moon above. _"Usually you just complain to me about the pitiful humans that worry about trivial things like schedules and napkins . . . It's nice to know that you could talk about something that concerns an entirely different subject."_

 _Don't get all snippy with me, you redheaded brat! I may have sounded concerned, but it is not in the way that you are probably thinking. You are my host, my vessel. If you die, I die, and it is a fucking hassle to regenerate back into my original form after I get killed off Gaara._

" _Ah yes . . . I should have known that this would all lead back to you Shukaku,"_ said Gaara as a small gust of wind brushed past him and ruffled his spiky hair. _"Nothing can make a tailed beast focus more than self-preservation."_

 _Damn straight . . . And out of all the people I could have possibly been sealed away in, I had to be sealed away in you, a prince of the kingdom of Sunagakure . . ._

" _It's not like I had any choice in the matter. You got sealed into me before I was even born remember?"_ Gaara simply replied as a dark cloud crossed over the moon, momentarily obscuring it from view. _"Sealing you away is basically a family tradition."_

 _Don't remind me . . . If it wasn't for your family's history with the Magnet Release, I would be roaming the deserts right about now, terrorizing anyone and everyone who dared crossed my path!_

" _Well then . . . it's a good thing you're not. Actually, it's good for everyone else because you're not out here wrecking the place. It's bad for me because I'm basically stuck with you in my head for the rest of my life,"_ said Gaara as he heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards him. " _You've already ruined 13 years' worth of nights for me with your idiotic banter and complaining. You can at least give me one night of piece of quiet, or is that too much to ask?"_

 _Well aren't you just a sensitive little prince hmm? If my idiotic banter annoys you so much, you little flesh bag, then I'll take my words somewhere else._

" _You can't take your words somewhere else. Where else can you go if you're sealed inside of me?"_ Gaara mentally grumbled as he closed his eyes. When Shukaku never replied, Gaara took that as a momentary reprieve from the inner spirit. Noticing that the footsteps had stopped somewhere on his left, he opened his eyes and turned his head to see a tall male in flowing robes standing a few feet away from his position. A white turban covered his head, with a strap of the remaining cloth covering the left side of his face. Two reddish markings decorated the right side of his face. "What do you want Baki?"

"Your father requests your presence in his private office Prince Gaara. Your brother and sister are already making their way there as I speak." he calmly replies in his clear deep voice, his eyes staring out into the village around them.

"I see . . ." said Gaara as he slowly got out of his crouch, his voice filled with slight disdain at the prospect of seeing his father. "Well, I better not keep the king waiting then."

All of a sudden, a large swirl of sand appeared out of thin air and started to swirl itself around the young redhead until he was completely encompassed by it. The swirl quickly moved as fast as it appeared, swirling right past Baki and through the lone doorway that led to that part of the roof. The sand traveled through the palace's dimly lit hallways, passing by startled maids and servants alike as it traveled through the floors. Eventually, the sand reached its destination and deposited Gaara right in front of a large set of bronze doors before quickly disappearing from view, not even leaving a speck of sand on the young prince as it went.

"Figures you would use your sand to get here before either of us could little brother!"

At the sound of the sudden voice, Gaara turned his head to see a boy a little older and taller than he was walking up to him dressed in a set of black pajamas. Following him was a blonde girl dressed in a purple nightgown, her eyes looking tired as she scowled at nothing in particular.

"It's convenient for me. What can I say?" Gaara simply asked as he turned his attention to the girl behind him. "You look worse for wear Temari."

"The way I look right now is justified. Father and Baki put me through a lot of training today. I could barely stand because I was so drained of chakra afterward . . ." grumbled the blonde as she quickly wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"That's just your luck as the firstborn I guess, huh big sis?" Kankuro couldn't help but ask with a smirk on his face.

"Oh shut up Kankuro!" grumbled Temari as she noticed that Gaara had moved his attention to the door. "So, why did Daddy Dearest call us to his office this late at night?"

"You would find out sooner if you all just stepped into his office already," said Baki as he suddenly appeared beside Kankuro. "Do you really think it is wise to keep your father waiting like this?"

"Hey! Can you blame us for being a little crabby right now? It is the middle of the night after all," growled Temari, irritation the dominant emotion on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Not everyone can go a full night without sleep like you and Gaara can Baki."

"That may be true. However, you have been trained to withstand long hours of sleep deprivation. This should be a cakewalk for you," said Baki as he turned to the door, ignoring the scowl that was etched across the blonde's face. "Anyway, enough talk on sleep. We've kept your father waiting long enough."

Baki then walked forward and pushed the doors open with both hands before stepping off to the side. Taking that as their cue to enter, the royal siblings proceeded in order from eldest to youngest, with Temari walking in first, Kankuro second, and Gaara third, with Baki bringing in the rear.

The king's office was a sizable room that was furnished with the best pieces of furniture that the kingdom could offer. The room was simple at best, save for a few portraits of desert landscapes that hung on three of the walls, and the large bookcase that covered the far wall. In the center of the room stood a large mahogany desk, the table's surface absolutely covered with important documents and books. Sitting behind the desk was a middle aged man with disheveled brown hair dressed in flowing white and green robes, a stern expression the dominant look on his face as he looked at the three children and grown man before him.

"Someone doesn't look too happy . . ." Kankuro mumbled to himself as the four lined themselves up in a straight line a couple of feet before the desk.

"If you're wondering if it's because I think you four have come later than I expected, don't worry, it's not that," said their father as he weaved his fingers together. "I just finished having a meeting with some members of the Council, and according to them, things are not looking too well for our kingdom right now."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Temari as a concerned look crossed her face while Baki remained stone faced. Kankuro raised an eyebrow at this latest development, while Gaara just looked disinterested, like always.

"The kingdom is losing valuable profit from the shinobi division due to clients looking to other kingdoms for better prices." said the king as he flipped through some of the documents on his desk.

"Well that can't be helped," grumbled Kankuro as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Sunagakure is at a natural disadvantage due to our location alone. We're basically on the outskirts of the lands compared to the other major villages. Plus, crossing the desert itself is no walk in the park either."

"All of what you said is true Kankuro, and unfortunately, all those things you mentioned is something that we can't help," said the King as he leaned back in his chair. "Due to our 'natural' circumstances, we can't afford to lower prices on the services our shinobi provide. The Council is getting worried that if this keeps happening, then the worth of our shinobi will begin to diminish in the eyes of the other kingdoms."

"Our reputation would be diminished . . ." mumbled Temari as she brought a hand to her chin. "But I still don't see why you've called us in here."

"Don't worry, I was just getting around to it," the King quickly said in a serious tone of voice. "In two weeks' time, the biannual Shinobi Showcase will be taking place. The Fire Kingdom, Konohagakure, will be hosting this edition of the competition, and you three will be one of the teams representing our kingdom. Baki will be going along with you as your team's mentor."

"Wait? Us?" asked Kankuro as his eyes widened in shock. "Why? Because of our status as your kids and how young we still are, you barely allow us to go out on missions of this magnitude, especially Gaara . . . What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"He believes if we have a good showing during the Showcase, then potential clients will become interested in Suna's shinobi again, thus bringing back more revenue to the kingdom," Gaara finally said, his voice reverberating throughout the room, his gaze aimed straight at his father. "Did I get all that right, or am I missing a detail or two?"

"Actually, what you said is absolutely correct Gaara," said the King as he nodded his head, his stern eyes never leaving his youngest son's. "The Council believes that if Suna is going to have a good showing at the Showcase, we have to send our very best to represent us. Your tutors, mentors, and I have all agreed that all three of you have been excelling in your studies and training, making you prime candidates for this mission . . . You are some of the best that our kingdom can offer, and what is a better way to attract clients than showing off our very best?"

"I see, and since you're handing us this mission personally, it's definitely not a mission that we can refuse," said Temari as she shook her head. "The Shinobi Showcase always attracts a multitude of teams from all across the shinobi lands. Are there any that we should be particularly wary of?"

"The other four great kingdoms always send formidable teams to the Showcase, and most of these teams are comprised of members from well-respected and elite ninja clans," said the King as he picked up a small stack of documents from off the table. He held them out to Baki, who then took them from his hand. "One thing is for sure, you will not be the only royals competing in this particular Showcase."

"The twin son and daughter of the Fire King and Queen are also competing in this Showcase," said Baki as he perused through the papers. "However, they are not part of the same team."

"Really?" mumbled Temari, her face now looking slightly interested as Baki passed the documents onto her. She quickly scanned through the sheets before handing them off to Kankuro. "Hmm . . . I should have figured that there wasn't going to be a lot of information on our fellow royals, well, compared to the rest of the field. All that's written there is their bio stats and nothing else"

"Info on those two is surely lacking in the official files. The Fire King is known to have a protective nature, especially in regards to his own family," said the King as he slowly stood up from his chair. "At best, it is easy to assume that the Fire King and Queen have taught their children some of their own jutsu, but you shouldn't be assured by that fact alone. . ."

"Of course not . . . The justu used by the Fire King and Queen aren't really as well-known and understood as our own. They don't usually go all out in battle, and when they do, their opponents don't really see the light of day long enough to blab to others about their experiences," said Temari as she shook her head. "At best, if any one of us goes against their kids, we would be basically going in basically blind."

"Are you including Gaara in your assessment Temari?" Kankuro asked with an eyebrow raised. "Gaara's sand is basically an ultimate offense and defense, all in one. In truth, he probably has the best chance against either of those two."

 _Your brother sounds like he has so much faith in you._ Shukaku couldn't help but say as he let out a small chuckle. _It's almost sickening if you ask me. I bet he believes that if you handle the Fire King's brats, he won't have to._

" _Just shut up,"_ said Gaara as he refused the urge to roll his eyes. _"I don't need your damn commentary right now."_

 _Aw . . . your words wound me_.

"You may say that Gaara has the best chance in the Showcase against either of the Fire King's children Kankuro, but in truth, even he may have a bit of a hard time if he had to battle one of them." said the King as he walked over to one of the office's windows.

"What do you mean by that King Rasa?" Baki asked in slight disbelief as Gaara shot his father a narrow eyed glare, slightly irritated with his father's sudden critique of him. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

"The royal families of the five kingdoms are known for their close ties to the tailed beasts. Konoha's royal family has been linked to the Nine Tails ever since the kingdom's founding . . ." mused King Rasa as he looked out the window. "Hmm . . . it is possible that the Nine Tails chakra could come into play if one of the twins is pushed enough."

 _The Nine Tails . . . Now things just got a little interesting._ Shukaku mused, his voice now sounding intrigued. _I haven't seen my older brother in ages. It'll be nice to finally say hello to him after all this time apart._

" _Why do I have the sudden feeling you want to say more than just 'hello' to your sibling?"_ grumbled Gaara as his father walked away from the window. _"What? Do you have some kind of vendetta against him?"_

 _You have no idea, my little walking flesh bag._

"Okay, so our goal is to either win or have a very good showing in the Shinobi Showcase, but we have to be wary of our competition, particularly our fellow royals," mumbled Kankuro as he thought it over in his head. "Is that it?"

"Hmm . . . There is one more thing that I should mention to you four," said Rasa as he brought a hand to his chin. "I said that the royal family of the Fire Kingdom has been connected to the Nine Tails since its founding, correct? Well, that has been the case for a long time, well, until recently."

"My king, are you saying that the family has somehow managed to gain a _second_ tailed beast?" Baki asked in actual surprise, his voice practically an octave higher.

"According to my sources, the Fire royal family came into possession of a second tailed beast around the time of the twins' birth . . . There are ten beasts in total. We hold the One Tails. Kumo holds the Two and Eight Tails and Kiri holds the Three and Six Tails. The Four and Five Tails are in Iwa's possession, and the smaller kingdom of Takigakure holds the Seven Tails," said Rasa as he listed them all with his fingers. "I have failed to mention the last one, but I think you all can figure it out for yourselves If you really think about it."

"No way . . . Then that means Konoha now holds the Ten Tails. They have the two most powerful beasts in their possession for crying out loud!" grumbled Kankuro as he brought a hand to his forehead. "And what's worse? Now, Suna is the only one of the Five Great Kingdoms that only has one beast!"

 _So . . . that's where Ryuna has been these past few years._ Shukaku grumbled, his voice sounding slightly contemplative, and reflective. _She was always the best at avoiding capture. She's roamed the lands in hiding ever since the Tailed Beasts were first formed . . . I wonder how those Fire Shinobi finally managed to catch her._

"Father, you mentioned that the Ten Tails was captured around the time the twins were born. Is it possible that one of the twins were used as the Ten Tails vessel?" asked Temari, her eyes looking thoughtful at the possibility.

"That may be the case," said Rasa as he sat back in to his chair. "For now, you know enough about the situation at hand. It's time for you to prepare for your journey, because you will be leaving as soon as the sun rises. The quicker you leave, the sooner you can get to Konoha in order to really assess your competition . . . I don't need to stress how important this mission is for the sake of our kingdom's economy. Failure is not an option."

"Of course, milord," said Baki as he bowed his head. "We will see to it that this mission will be a rousing success."

"See that you do . . . You all are dismissed," said the king as he looked at each person. Baki bowed once more before turning to leave, followed by Temari and Kankuro, with Gaara bringing up the rear; however, he didn't get far. "Gaara, stay for one second."

 _Now what does the bastard want now?_ Shukaku grumbled as Gaara stopped himself from walking out the room. The redhead's siblings shot him curious glances before leaving for their respective rooms, leaving Gaara to deal with their father alone.

"If you have only asked me to stay behind because you are worried that I may lose control over Shukaku, then you're wasting your breath," Gaara quickly said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've heard the speech before."

"Must you speak to your own father like that?" Rasa grumbled in return as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm . . . that depends, did you have to seal a demon inside me? Before I was even born no less?" Gaara asked in return as he took a step forward. "What you did to me was a great way to start off my life Father. Real nice . . ."

"Sealing a tailed beast within a member of the royal family is how we maintain our power within our kingdom," said Rasa, his tone all serious as he addressed his youngest child. "You were the one that was deemed the most compatible with Shukaku's chakra, which made you the prime candidate for the sealing."

"Yeah . . . at the cost of my ability to sleep . . ." mumbled the redhead, his eyes now shooting daggers at the older man. ". . . And somebody's life."

Rasa visibly flinched when Gaara said those words, his face now looking somber as he leaned back into his seat. His eyes went to one of the two picture frames that stood on his desk, his gaze momentarily taking in the sight of himself holding a smiling blonde woman in his arms. His late wife . . .

. . . Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro's deceased mother . . .

"It's no secret that your mother's death has affected this family. However, we cannot let past events affect us now, especially when you have such a big mission ahead of you Gaara," said Rasa as he addressed his son more like a king and less like a father. "Go and get ready. You have a mission to begin in the morning."

Gaara stared coldly at his father before summoning his sand to him. The beige cloud swirled around the young redhead before flying out the room, taking the young prince away as it flew roughly through the open doors, leaving the King of the Wind Kingdom alone to his weary thoughts.

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 **A/N: A few things . . .**

 **1\. Gaara has A relationship with Shukaku where they're at least on speaking terms with each other. This will be the same, more or less, for all tailed beasts that'll be introduced in this story.**

 **2\. I'll be honest; I'm not really a fan of the Ten Tails' design in the canon storyline, so I'm changing its look in this storyline, which will be further explained as this story goes on.**

 **3\. The canon Ten Tails was never really given a proper name in the canon storyline from what I remember. Like, we know the Nine Tails name is Kurama and the One Tails is Shukaku, but it's not clear to me what the Ten Tails actually is. So for my story, the Ten Tails will be known as Ryuna.**

 **I hope you all liked this first chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	2. On the Move

**A/N: Would have had this up sooner, but HW assignments can really delay a person. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: On the Move

 _Hmm . . . That was an interesting little talk you had with your father just now, my little flesh bag._ Shukaku stated, his voice sounding only vaguely interested as Gaara continued to use his sand to travel through the palace hallways. _Things got a little testy between you two at the end of that, uh,_ tense _conversation . . ._

" _Say what you want about it Shukaku. I don't care . . ."_ grumbled the young prince as he stopped his sand in front of a large ornate door. _"I just need to prepare for my mission, just like the king ordered."_

 _Oh you and your daddy issues . . . Sometimes it's sad, and sometimes it's just plain entertaining to watch. . ._

Gaara ignored the tanuki's remark as he opened the door and stepped into the quiet refuge that was his bedroom. His room was fit for a prince. It was large in size and furnished with the best furniture available. The two large windows along the room's far wall gave the redhead an amazing view of the village, however, he preferred the view he would get from the palace's roof over the window. Bypassing the king-sized bed he never used due to obvious reasons, Gaara sat down on his lounge chair with his arms crossed over his chest, his thoughts slowly going back to the discussion he had with his father only minutes prior.

" _Sealing a tailed beast within a member of the royal family is how we maintain our power within our kingdom . . . You were the one that was deemed the most compatible with Shukaku's chakra, which made you the prime candidate for the sealing."_

"Father has three children, and yet I was the only one born with chakra that was compatible to Shukaku's own . . ." the redhead grumbled to himself. "Just my luck . . ."

 _Don't blame me on that one! Your father could have easily sealed me away in someone else that was compatible with my chakra, but no, he didn't. He sealed me away in you, his youngest child, in order to consolidate the family's power . . . You gotta love your pops, huh flesh bag?_

" _Love is too much of a strong word to describe the relationship I have with my father,"_ Gaara slowly stated as he looked at nothing in particular. _"Our relationship is . . . tolerable at best."_

 _Oh, I have definitely seen evidence of that over the years._ Shukaku practically cackled as the redhead leaned back into his seat. _You can cut the tension in the air with a knife whenever you two are in the same room with each other. The apprehension you have towards each other is just that apparent. It would be obvious to everyone and anyone who witness it._

" _With what he's done to this family, especially to me, in the past, my feelings toward him can't be helped . . ."_ grumbled Gaara as a knocking sound erupted from his door. "Who is it?"

"Gaara, it's only me!" called Temari as she continued to knock on the door. "I just wanted to let you know that we're meeting up with Baki at the palace's main entrance at dawn. Don't be late!"

"I wouldn't dream of it . . ." Gaara quickly grumbled to himself as he listened as his sister's footsteps grew quieter and quieter as she walked away. "Well, at least there will be something good that comes out of this mission."

 _And what would that be flesh bag, hmm . . . That you'll get to beat the frustration you have toward your father out on your competition at the showcase?_

" _I was thinking along the lines of that I won't have to see my father's face for quite a while,"_ Gaara answered in return as he shook his head. " _But in a way, what you said isn't entirely untrue."_

 _Of course it's not . . . I have been watching you fight ever since you were a little tyke with a teddy bear. You may not want to admit it to others, but you can't hide it from me . . ._ Shukaku said in a drunkenly teasing tone of voice. _I know how you think in a fight Gaara. I've seen how your mind works._

" _And how exactly does my mind work from your perspective Shukaku?"_

 _Your mind can be quite interesting at times . . ._ said Shukaku. _You can't help but enjoy venting out your anger on others sometimes, as if they're your convenient little punching bags ready to use at your disposal. And despite your use of a 'stationary' style of fighting, it's actually fun to watch._

" _You make it sound like I'm actually proud of inflicting pain on others . . ."_ Gaara grumbled as he got up from his chair.

 _Personally, I would be annoyed if you didn't._ Shukaku said with the smallest of chuckles. _I tend to take pride and enjoyment in my battles and kills. I expect my jinchuriki to do the same._

" _That is so enlightening . . . Tell me Shukaku, are you looking forward to the Shinobi Showcase? You seem a little eager about the competition."_ Gaara quickly mused as he walked over to one of his windows.

 _I'm not as eager as you may think flesh bag. The competition will simply be crushed once they witness the power of our sand, and their blood will spill at our feet._ Shukaku practically growled out as the redhead sat down on the windowsill. _Let's just say I'm more . . ._ eager _to see some more than others._

" _The only ones your eager to see are the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails and the Ten Tails, and that's not even a concrete given."_ Gaara grumbled to himself as he looked at the moon in the sky. _"The Fire Prince and the Fire Princess could be jinchuriki, and then again, they could not. It's not certain Shukaku."_

 _I'll know for certain once we reach the Fire Kingdom's main village. Just get me within the vicinity of the royal family, and once I'm close to them, I will know who the jinchurikis are in that royal family, and who are not._

"You sound very confident on that one Shukaku," said Gaara, now speaking out loud instead of in his head for once. "It's as if you really are eager to be reunited with a few of your family members. I never thought you were one for family reunions."

 _My feelings are mixed when it comes to all that family mush . . . In truth, when it comes to my eldest siblings, my feelings can't help but contradict each other. On one hand, I hate Kurama with a passion, and on the other hand, Ryuna is the most tolerable of my siblings._

"Why do you hate Kurama?"

 _He holds on to this stupid belief that the more tails a tailed beast has, the more power the beast possesses. And with that in mind, he believes I'm the weakest in the group since I have only one tail to my name. And he can't help but remind me of this "fact" whenever we see each other._

"And is he wrong to believe that?"

 _The only one that believes in that stupid belief of his is Kurama himself! No other beast believes that fallacy. However, with the kind of power he possesses, it's hard to refute his claim if you try to challenge him . . ._ grumbled Shukaku. _Him being the beast with the second highest tail amount has really done a number on his ego over the years._

"And what about Ryuna?"

 _Ryuna is no Kurama. While Kurama acts like the boastful prick that he is, Ryuna is more like a silent observer. She doesn't speak to others much, preferring to watch the action unfold before speaking her piece. She usually minds her own business and keeps to herself. Ryuna willingly isolates herself . . . which would explain why she has always managed to be better at hiding from you shinobi than the rest of us. She avoids villages like the plague._

"Well, she's may have been the best at hiding, but apparently it didn't last forever, or else she would still be hiding instead of being in the Fire Kingdom's possession." said Gaara as he shook his head. Shukaku simply growled at him for his statement, but the redhead chose to ignore him in favor of looking out his window. He remained still, staying in his seated position until dawn was near.

When it was almost time for him to leave, Gaara quickly gathered what he needed, which was minimal at best, and sealed them away in scrolls before putting them away in his ninja pack. He quickly changed into a new set of clothes before walking over to one of his bedside dressers to retrieve the lone item inside: a single beige and gray scroll. He opened it and unlocked the seal inside, unleashing a large plume of smoke that quickly dissipated to reveal a large gourd of sand. Gaara quickly hiked it over his shoulder and onto his back before disappearing into a cloud of sand. The sand then left the room, traveling through the palace until it reached the large foyer that was adjacent to the ornate main entrance.

"Alright, I'm here . . ." said the redhead as he emerged from his cloud of sand. "Now I have to wait for the others . . . They better not take too long."

"You don't have to worry about me, but Kankuro and Baki may be a different story." said Temari as she emerged from behind a nearby pillar.

"What do you mean by that?" said Gaara as his cloud of sand disappeared into his gourd.

"Kankuro's still trying to figure out which puppet he should bring with him on this mission," Temari grumbled as she adjusted the position of the iron fan that was strapped to her back. "He does this practically every time he's sent on a mission, but he always ends up picking the same two puppets every time. Every fucking damn time!"

"Can't a guy be picky with his puppets and not be criticized for it!" exclaimed Kankuro as he walked into view. "Also, watch the language sis. You're a royal princess and the heir to dad's throne. You're not supposed to be using that kind of language missy."

"Don't try to reprimand me little brother!" Temari quickly replied back as she shot him an agitated look. "I don't need you to nitpick what I say. Besides, I rarely curse, and when I do curse, I do it with good reason."

"Me having a tendency to take the time to pick out my puppets before a mission is not a good reason for you to curse me out." Kankuro said rather flatly as he shook his head.

"But like Temari said, you tend to pick the same two puppets every time," said Gaara as he reentered the conversation. "So what's the damn point in your whole puppet picking process anyway?"

"Gaara, you are so not helping here," grumbled the puppet using prince as Temari shot him a superior grin. "Why couldn't you have just stayed silent and kept yourself out of the conversation like you usually do?"

Gaara refrained from answering his brother's question, his eyes paying more attention to what was coming down the main hallway than his sibling. Noticing how the redhead was looking past him instead of at him, Kankuro followed his gaze to see Baki and their father walking toward them, the latter still in the clothes he wore when they saw him in his office earlier in the night.

"Huh, looks like Dad's come to send us off after all," mumbled Temari as she looked at the two incoming men. "That's something I haven't seen in a long while."

"He must have slept in those clothes, or didn't sleep at all. He looks tired as hell." Kankuro muttered to himself as he shook his head. Unlike his two siblings, Gaara remained silent, his eyes conveying how annoyed he was currently feeling as his father and their mentor finally reached the three.

"Good, you all are here and appear ready to go," said the king as his three children gathered before him. "I hope you all have what you need in order for this mission to be successful . . ."

"If you mean that we all have our weapons at the ready, then yeah, we have what we need," said Temari as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, any other parting words you'd like to give us before we go _Dad_?"

"C'mon sis, don't be too hard on the old man," said Kankuro as he shot his older sibling a quick smirk. "Let him have his moment to try to at least act like a father instead of acting like a king."

"Can you two stop with the foolish antagonizing for just one minute?" asked Baki as a stoic look remained on the king's face. "Your father came down here to give some last minute remarks to you three before we head off."

"You're going to give us the usual spiel of how we should act accordingly as members of the royal Wind lineage aren't you?" mumbled Temari as she raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I tell you something that has been ingrained into your heads since you learned how to talk?" their father bluntly replied back as he looked at his only daughter. Temari resisted the urge to scowl even more, choosing to look at some of the tapestry on the walls instead of at her father's face. "Anyway, I came down here to say one last thing to you before you go. Watch out for the teams from the Sound Kingdom."

"The teams from Otogakure?" Kankuro asked with a curious look on his face. "What's going on with them? What trouble have they been causing?"

"There have been rumors swirling around that the Sound Kingdom may try something during the Showcase. We've been trying to validate these rumors, see if there's any truth to them, but all the leads have been coming up empty so far," explained Baki as he slightly shook his head. "The Sound has always been one of the best when it comes to keeping their secrets, well, _secret_ , and when one of their secrets do come out, it's very hard to determine if there's any truth behind it."

"Great, as if we have enough things to worry about," grumbled Kankuro as he placed a hand on his hip. "So what? Should we avoid any teams from the Sound unless we can't help it?"

"That will be the way to go during your time in Konoha. You will avoid any contact with Oto shinobi unless it's absolutely necessary." the King simply stated as sunlight began to peer in through the windows.

"And if the Oto shinobi decide to make contact with us?" Temari asked as the guards to the main entrance began to pull the doors open.

"Don't respond to them, and if they don't get the message, deal with them as best as you know how," responded the king as the early morning breeze began to pour into the room. Temari simply nodded her head before running out the palace, Kankuro following right behind her. The king turned his head just in time to see his youngest child turning away from him before running after siblings. He couldn't help but notice the hint of disdain in the redhead's eyes just before he left. ". . . Dammit . . ."

"You would think that those three could have at least waited till you had dismissed them first before leaving," grumbled Baki as he took a step forward, his eyes still watching the three he was supposed to mentor as they continued running ahead. "That was just a little rude."

"It can't be helped," said the king as he began the long walk back to his office. "Besides, what child actually listens to their parents at their age anyway? You're dismissed, Baki."

Baki slightly hesitated as he watched his leader leave before quickly following after his subordinates. He ran past the open palace doors, down the long clay staircase, and down the main road that led to the palace gates. He managed to catch up to the royal siblings just as they passed the gates, overpassing them just as they set foot into the village's downtown area.

"Oi Baki! I'm glad you can finally join us," Kankuro practically cackled as the four made their way down the village's main avenue, bypassing still closed and just opening shops as they went. "I was starting to get worried that you would never catch up old man."

"Oh be quiet you," grumbled the turban wearing shinobi. "I don't need your sarcasm right now Kankuro."

"You're only acting like this because we didn't wait for our father to dismiss us before leaving the palace Baki. You're not going to say it for yourself, but we all know that what I just said was true." said Temari, her face looking smug as she pointed out the obvious.

"It really is that obvious, well, if you ask me," Kankuro further added as he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Baki remained silent as the two elder siblings continued to share jabs with each other. Gaara, who was running in the back of the four man group, remained silent as he looked around at the surroundings that the group would soon be leaving.

He observed how still the village was in the morning, and how it was only now coming alive for the day. Shopkeepers along the row were busy setting up their businesses for the day ahead, their faces looking eager to make their daily profits. Village police continued to go along their patrols and normal citizens went along on their walks to who knows where. When the people noticed the royal team running by, they stopped and stared at the group. However, the peoples' eyes quickly averted the other way as soon as they looked at the redhead, and Gaara knew their reason why.

They looked away because they sensed what was inside him. They knew that the sand demon that is Shukaku resided in him. They knew he was cursed since birth, forced to live with the demonic entity for the rest of his eyes. The people couldn't separate him from the tanuki, the boy from the monster. Some people even believed that he was Shukaku in human form, rather than his vessel. Regardless of the fact, people were scared of him, terrified even, enough to not even make contact with the young boy. . .

 _Hmm . . . I just love it when people look away from us all scared and shit. I don't even need to do anything to make people terrified. They just look and turn their heads the other way once they see you incoming Gaara._

" _You may love it, but I don't. . ."_ the young redhead grumbled in return as the group reached the Suna Wall, a towering structure of clay that stood as the village's main frontal barrier. The four ran through the main gate, which was a large, yet slim, crevice within the wall, emerging into miles and miles of desert, already hot and humid even as the sun continued to appear from behind the horizon.

"It takes about three days to get to Konoha from Suna and vice versa. Let's not waste any time here you three!" Baki called over his shoulder. Temari and Kankuro both nodded their heads in agreement while Gaara offered no response, the latter still thinking over the reactions he got from the people they passed by. Baki ignored the lack of reaction from the redhead, choosing to look ahead at the sea of desert instead of the quiet redheaded prince.

 **A/N: Okay, so as you can probably guess from reading above, the dynamic between Suna and Oto will be a little different in this story compared to what it was in the canon storyline. To find out more, well, you'll just have to read to find out.**

 **Please review!**


	3. Meeting Royalty

Chapter 3: Meeting Royalty

 _ **Three days later . . .**_

"Konoha's climate is definitely not as dry and arid as Suna's," mumbled Kankuro as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "But they definitely beat us in terms of plant life. All you see is trees, trees, and more trees in every direction you look at."

"Well, they don't call Konohagakure the village hidden in the leaves for nothing," said Temari as the group continued moved from tree to tree. "Anyway, how long is it going to take before we start seeing civilization again?"

"We're going into the terrain that holds the Hokage Rock. The village will be located right at the base of it," explained Baki as he continued to look forward. "Will I have to explain to you three what the Hokage Rock is?"

"Don't worry Baki! We all know the history of that monument thanks to the tutors our dad hired for us. You don't have to tell us twice!" Kankuro said with a shake of his head. "I know you're supposed to be our mentor, but you don't have to worry about us academically, especially for a mission like this."

"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother . . ." Baki mumbled under his breath as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When he saw that the road that they were following from above had shifted from dirt to pavement, he jumped down and landed on the ground. The royal siblings were right behind him. "Now that we have crossed onto the paved portion of the road, Konoha shouldn't be too far away. Another hour of running, give or take . . . However, stay on guard. In the past, some teams have had a tendency to ambush their fellow competition as they were traveling to their final destination."

 _Pfft . . . As if that could ever happen . . ._ said Shukaku with a snort. _My sand would kill anyone who would try to ambush us before they could even set a foot into our field of vision._

" _It's nice to know that you're very confident in your abilities Shukaku,"_ Gaara grumbled as he continued to run at the back of the group. _"Now that I think about it, this is the first time you've spoken in a while. Is there something on your mind?"_

 _Nothing that you have to worry your little red head about, my little flesh bag._

Gaara would have raised an eyebrow at that, well, if he had any eyebrows to raise. Instead, he kept his eyes on the road ahead, following his small group as they ran along the road. The road actually widened as time went on, reaching to the point that it could fit ten people in a line shoulder to shoulder. Forty-five minutes passed before the group finally reached their destination, stopping when they reached the checkpoint area that stood mere feet before the main entrance of the Konoha Gate.

"Huh, I did not expect this many people to be here, to be honest . . ." grumbled Kankuro as he looked at the long lines that were stretching away from the check in booths.

"Well, good thing we're royalty then. . ." said Temari as Baki and Gaara started walking on ahead. "Long lines are foreign to people like us. We'll just use our royal status to skip ahead of everyone else."

'We could do that. Or, we can use the express line for royalty, nobility, high officials, and special guests that's all the way at the far end of the booths." said Kankuro as he pointed toward their left. Temari followed his gaze to see the noticeably short line located at the booth closest to the main gate. It was also the booth that Baki and Gaara were heading for.

"Huh, the people of Konoha really are a convenient bunch . . ." mumbled Temari as she and Kankuro quickly ran to catch up to the other two. Once they had all their papers in order and were approved by the shinobi at the desk, the four walked through the reddish brown gates and into a village so unlike their own.

While beige clay and stone were the norm of the buildings in Suna, the buildings of Konoha were made with various materials such as wood, brick, and cement. The buildings were also more multi-colored than the sandy-hued buildings that Suna had to offer, but none of the buildings stood out more than the large, intricate, reddish-brown building that stood in Konoha's center.

 _Hmm . . . That must be the Fire Palace . . ._ Shukaku mused as Gaara followed his siblings and mentor down the busy street. . . _So that's where Kurama and Ryuna have been living it up these past few years. . . I got to admit. The place doesn't look half bad. Then again, this whole village looks a little more livelier than Suna._

" _It is. . . I never noticed before."_ Gaara sarcastically replied back as he maintained his position at the back of the pack. Despite no longer being in their home village, the royal siblings were recognized well enough by the Konoha citizens. People whispered to themselves or each other as they caught sight of the three children of Wind royalty as they passed him by. Gaara heard his name mentioned the most, but it was more so out of curiosity and wonderment than outright fear or terror, a nice change for the redhead.

 _Huh . . . The people here are more unsure of you than scared. I guess 'all' of your reputation hasn't reached here yet._ Shukaku said with a snort as Baki led the three around the corner and onto another street lined with shops, inns, and hotels. _That will all change soon enough._

" _Don't get your hopes up too much Shukaku. . . I'm not going on an all out rampage just because you feel like going on one."_ said the young redhead as they reached a hotel that took up the entire block. "Is this where we will be staying during our time here?"

"Yes, but we will not be the only ones staying here," Baki calmly answered as he looked around at their surroundings. "Teams that come from the same kingdom are assigned the same hotel to stay in. And in our case, all teams from the Wind Kingdom are assigned to the hotel right next to us."

"I hope the rooms here are good . . ." mumbled Kankuro as the four walked up the hotel steps.

"With your royal pedigree, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave us the penthouse suite." said Baki as they walked into the sprawling, luxurious structure. Once they were inside, they quickly handled their business at the check-in desk and made their way to their room on the hotel's top floor, which also happened to be the hotel's penthouse suite.

"Hmm . . . Not bad," said Temari as she looked around at their opulent surroundings. The suite was large enough to contain four bedrooms, each one with their own bathroom, a living space, an elegant dining area, and a porch that gave the four an amazing view of the rest of Konoha. "This should do us just fine."

"Good to know . . ." said Baki as he set down his things inside the bedroom that was closest to the exit. "Now then, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to leave you three alone to yourselves for the next couple of hours."

"You're leaving already?" asked Kankuro as he took off his puppet and set it down on the couch. "Where are you going?"

"All team mentors have to meet with the Showcase organizers at the village's Academy once they arrive. Mainly to get info on the event's activities, overview, that sort of thing . . ." Baki calmly explained as he reopened the door. "The village's training areas are located in the eastern part of the village. Teams may possibly be already there tuning up their skills for the coming event. I suggest you three do the same."

"We just reached the village and you already want us to tra-" Kankuro managed to say before Temari abruptly cut him off, slapping her hand over his mouth and shooting him a nasty look to boot.

"We'll leave within the hour," the blonde quickly stated as she turned back to the older man. Baki simply nodded his head before leaving, and once the door closed behind him, Temari released her hold on Kankuro's mouth. "Seriously Kankuro, you can be really dense sometimes."

"What did I say?" asked the puppeteer as an agitated look appeared on his face. "And again, we did just get here. Is it too much to ask to have at least a few good hours rest before we start training?"

"Just follow me you two. I think you'll figure it out once we get to the training grounds." mumbled the blonde as she took her leave. The brothers shared a look with each other before Gaara started following after their sibling, leaving Kankuro to bring up the rear.

"But seriously, is it really that bad to ask for a quick rest around here?" the puppeteer grumbled, hoisting his puppet onto his back before following his siblings out the room.

x~X~x

The three siblings left their hotel and traveled along the building rooftops, mainly to avoid anyone that may give them some kind of hassle due to their royal status. Jumping from building to building, Temari and Kankuro looked around at their surroundings, taking note of anything they thought was memorable enough to remember for later. Gaara, on the other hand, kept his eyes straight ahead. The only time he moved his gaze was for the brief moment he glanced at the Fire Palace.

 _Hmm . . . I can feel them . . ._ said Shukaku, his voice cutting into Gaara's train of thought like a sharp blade. _. . I can feel them both._

" _You can feel both the Nine and Ten Tails within the vicinity?"_ Gaara asked the tanuki as he and his siblings came to a stop in the middle of an empty road. Behind them was a row of buildings of various sizes, but in front of them was a long silver chain link fence. Standing a few feet behind the fence were oak trees as far as the eye could see.

 _That's right,_ said Shukaku as he let out a small growl. _I can feel both their chakra and that of their respective jinchuriki inside that training field._

" _And the jinchuuriki's' chakra?"_ Gaara asked as he followed his siblings toward the field's main entrance.

 _It's like yours, well, with the usual discrepancies of course,_ answered Shukaku. _Both jinchurikis have untapped potential in their chakra. It almost makes me excited to see what they can do with that chakra once they're older._

" _If that's the case, the Fire Prince and Fire Princess are the jinchuuriki of the Nine and Ten Tails after all,"_ Gaara mused as the he and his siblings entered the large training field. _"The question now is this: Who holds which beast?"_

 _Well, we are about to find out. If you and your siblings head a little west of here, you'll certainly run into them._

" _Thanks for the heads up . . ."_ mumbled Gaara as he turned his head west. "I suggest we look for a spot in the western area."

"You want to go west?" asked Kankuro as his brother jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree. "Why?"

"Just a hunch . . ." was all Gaara said before he disappeared into the trees. The older siblings shared a glance with each other before following after their brother, who already managed a sizable lead on them. When they finally reached Gaara after lagging behind for a while, the redhead had stopped at the edge of a large grassy field, his eyes trained on the six people standing in the field's center. The group consisted of two blondes, a brunette, one with hair as black as a raven's, one with lavender colored hair, and a pinkette.

"Hmm . . . it seems your 'hunch' has pointed us in the right direction," mumbled Temari as she took in the scene before them. "The two blondes in that group of six . . . They're the Fire Prince and Princess. I remembered that their bio info mentioned that the two were blondes, a trait they inherited from their father."

"Yeah, but did that bio info also mention that the prince had whisker marks on his face?" mumbled Kankuro as he turned to his sister. "Like seriously, how are whisker marks natural?"

 _Oh, they're natural, especially if the jinchuuriki has been a jinchuriki since his or her birth. . ._ Shukaku mused with a throaty chuckle. _We tailed beasts have a tendency of 'marking' our jinchuriki if the he or she becomes our host as soon as they're born. For example, the dark rings you have around your eyes are a byproduct of me being sealed within you before you were even born . . . In the Nine Tails' case, he marks his hosts with lines across his or her face that resemble whiskers, three on each cheek._

" _You tailed beasts may not like being sealed away, but you all sound like you don't mind marking your territory,"_ Gaara mused as he observed the Fire Prince as he began to duel with the raven haired boy. _"So, what does the Ten Tails usually mark her jinchuriki with?"_

 _It's not as obvious as whisker marks or dark rings around the eyes Gaara. The Ten Tails mark is a lot more . . . subtle,_ said Shukaku. _In the case of my sister's jinchuriki, the mark isn't obvious unless you face the girl in a fight._

" _Oh great . . ."_ Gaara said with a small roll of his eyes. He turned his attention away from the duel that was going on to look at the Fire Princess. The blonde girl stood in between the brunette and the lavender haired girl, her eyes focused on the fight that was going on before her, as if she was studying their movements. Judging from how the brunette and lavender haired girls were speaking to her in whispers, Gaara quickly got the feeling that she was probably the leader in that three man team.

"So . . ." started Kankuro as he took a step forward. "Should we make our presence known to them?"

"I think it's best if we keep quiet for now," advised Temari as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides, the longer that they remain unaware about our presence, the longer we can watch them and study their moves."

"Is that so?"

At the sudden sound of the feminine voice, which was coming from somewhere above the three Suna natives, the royal siblings turned their heads to face the trees. With their weapons at the ready, the siblings turned their heads to see a blonde haired girl standing on a branch in one of the tallest trees. It didn't take the three long to realize that the girl was the Fire Princess herself.

"Huh, well this is unexpected," mumbled Kankuro as he held his puppet in front of him, still wrapped in its white bandages. "I could have sworn that we saw you standing with the others in the field just seconds ago."

"I am standing with them . . . well, my _shadow clone_ is," said the Fire Princess as she placed a hand on her hip. Her gaze was unwavering as she looked at the three siblings, as if she was searching for any noticeable weaknesses the three may have. "Judging from the type of weapons you're carrying, it's safe to assume your the royal siblings from the Wind Kingdom I've heard so much about."

"Really? And how exactly have you heard so much about us?" asked Temari, her voice taking on a challenging edge. "Well, if you don't mind me asking. . ."

"Being a part of a royal family does have its benefits, don't you think?" asked the princess as she spoke in a calm tone. "Although, I'll admit. I was a little _miffed_ that all the info my father's people could gather on you three were bio stats and that's it. . . I'm sure you three experienced the same thing when you received info on my brother and me."

"You have no idea . . ." mumbled Temari as the four heard footsteps coming in from somewhere behind them. It was the rest of the princess' group, her brother leading the way.

"Hey sis!" exclaimed the Fire Prince as he looked up at his sister, his voice as loud as his orange colored outfit. "These three aren't giving you any trouble are they?"

"On the contrary Naruto. Our fellow royals and I were just chatting, that's all," said the princess as she jumped down from her perch and landed on the hard earth with a soft thud.

"Fellow royals . . ?" mumbled Naruto before a look of realization came across his face. "Oh yeah; you three must be the royals from the Wind Kingdom that everyone has been talking about!"

"Despite only being here for the past couple of hours, you've already made quite a buzz around these parts," mumbled the girl with the shoulder length lavender hair as she pushed her black rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Especially the one with the "panda-like" eyes."

 _Did she just say 'panda-like' eyes?_ growled Shukaku, his anger instantly getting Gaara's attention, as well as sending a tremor of pain through the redhead's skull. _For her information, it's tanuki-like eyes. They're not panda-like. I will kill any and all who continue to make that mistake._

" _Calm down you damn tanuki. You're letting something as simple as an understandable misinterpretation get under your skin. You are so easily irritated at times."_ Gaara responded right back, his eyes not missing how the Fire Princess was staring at him from the corner of her ice blue eyes.

"I don't care about who's making everyone talk around the village. All I care about right now is getting ready for the Showcase," mumbled the raven haired boy as he began walking away from the rest of the group. "Are you guys coming? Naruto? Sakura?"

"Coming Sasuke!" exclaimed the pinkette as she quickly walked after him. Naruto grumbled something under his breath before following after the two, quickly doing a small wave at the rest of the group before following his teammates into the trees.

"Sorry about the Uchiha. As you can see, he's not really the most _courteous_ person at times." mumbled the Fire Princess as she shook her head.

"When is he ever courteous?" grumbled the brunette as a scowl came across her tan face. "Sasuke has been rocking the pompous attitude for as long as he's been wearing that ridiculous duckbutt hairstyle of his. I guess coming from one of the oldest clans in the entire world hasn't really taught him anything on humility after all."

"However, he does have the right idea," said the girl with the lavender colored hair as she looked off into the distance. "We should be spending less time talking and more time training. Sensei Ishida won't be too happy with us if he finds out we've been spending our time talking with the competition."

"Damn, same goes for our mentor," Kankuro managed to spit out before Temari could answer for the group. "I guess we'll just have to part ways for now."

"I guess you're right," said the Fire Princess as she walked a few steps away from the group. She then turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Unless you three plan on following us to study our moves like you originally planned."

Despite her voice sounding light and playful, the Sand Siblings knew that the Fire Princess' voice carried the hint of a veiled threat, one that she wouldn't mind acting on as a sudden chill went down the siblings' backs. Her ice blue eyes matched the tone of her voice, light, yet threatening.

 _This chill . . . This is definitely Ryuna's doing . . ._ mumbled Shukaku, his voice sounding both agitated and impressed. _. . . Hmm, maybe my sister is more interconnected with her jinchuriki than I originally thought._

"Don't worry," said Gaara, him being the first to respond after listening to what Shukaku had to say. "We do not plan on spying on you to see your skill set."

"That's all I wanted to hear," said the royal as she turned forward. "Let's go Haruka, Nanami."

"Right!" the two girls chorused together. The Fire Princess leapt onto a branch before disappearing into the trees, with Nanami and Haruka following right after her, leaving the three Sand Siblings to contemplate what just happened.

"Okay, did either of you two feel a very cold feeling just shoot straight up and down your spine?" asked Kankuro as he pointed his thumb toward his back. "Cause I felt it, and it didn't feel good. Not good at all."

"And the look in her eyes . . . It almost felt, I don't know, _unnatural_ in a way. Like one of those times Gaara looks at us whenever he's really pissed about something," mumbled Temari as she brought a hand to her chin. "It's probably from the influence her tailed beast has on her."

 _It definitely was Ryuna's influence that came into play . . ._ said Shukaku. _She's definitely residing in the Fire Princess. There's no doubt about that._

" _I never realized that . . . Is this what others feel when I stare at them that way?"_ Gaara asked, more to himself than to the tanuki that resided within him.

"Gaara, let's find somewhere else to train!" called Temari, who was already halfway into the field with Kankuro when she realized that their sand-manipulating brother was still at the field's periphery.

 _You have no idea flesh bag . . ._ said Shukaku as Gaara quickly made his way over to his siblings. _It's especially evident when you're angry. Think of it as a common trait that all jinchuuriki share._

" _I guess I should be thankful that I'm not alone in that department . . ."_ mumbled Gaara as he joined his siblings in the field. _"But still, I'll have to be careful of the Fire Princess from now on. There's more to her than meets the eye."_

 **Please review!**

 **A/N: Okay, so, of course, I had to introduce Naruto and the rest of Team 7 in this chapter, well, sans Kakashi, as well as the Fire Princess and her crew. Her name will be revealed in the next chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Round One

Chapter 4: Round One

 _ **Day 1 of the Showcase**_

"Temari! Are you ready yet?!" Kankuro yelled as he, Gaara, and Baki stood by their suite's exit, patiently awaiting the Wind Kingdom's heir apparent. "If we don't leave now, we're going to be late for sure!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" called the blonde as she finally walked out from her room while still fiddling with one of her pigtails. "Sheesh, can't a girl fix up her pigtails in peace?"

"Not if she wants to be early for the Showcase preliminaries that is." said Baki as he opened the door and walked into the hallway, the three siblings following suit.

They quickly left the hotel and made their way through Konoha's intersecting streets until they reached the village's ninja academy, which was simply known as the Academy. It was a towering multi-level white structure with a red roof with matching awnings on each floor. The main door was wide open, but everyone gathered for the Showcase were waiting in the adjoining courtyard.

When the siblings entered the courtyard, they finally came face-to-face with their competition, and there was plenty of it. The courtyard was almost filled to the brim with teams from the various kingdoms across the land, and more teams were still filing into the courtyard as the minutes passed by. A number of the teams instantly took notice of the three Wind natives, and all of them concluded that the three would definitely be stiff competition, especially Gaara.

"Alright, this is our stop. It's time for me to leave you three," said Baki as he turned to his charges. "Me leaving is only temporary. Traditionally, all team mentors must wait out the preliminaries away from their teams until they're over."

"How many of the preliminary rounds are we expected to face?" Temari asked with a slightly amused stare. "Two? Three?"

"I do not have the answer to your question Temari. The number of preliminary rounds changes with each new edition of the Showcase. The number is never standard." said Baki, his face showing how annoyed he was by the fact. "Anyway, I will see you all again once the day's events are over."

"And who knows how long that'll take," grumbled Kankuro as the three watched Baki leave. Their eyes followed their turban-wearing mentor as he walked up the steps and into the building, disappearing from their combined view. "Anyway, do you guys see anyone around here that could be problematic in the long run?"

"Besides Princess Shizuka and her group?" asked Temari as she pointed toward the staircase, where the Fire Princess and her teammates, Haruka and Nanami, were seated along one of the flat stone railings. It was the first time the siblings had seen the three girls since their first encounter at the training grounds.

 _Huh . . . So the girl goes by the name Shizuka huh?_ Shukaku mumbled, saying the name as if he liked the sound of it. _The girl definitely looks quiet. However, she also looks perfectly calm and unfazed . . . It's almost unsettling._

Gaara couldn't help but agree with the tanuki's assessment as he observed the blonde, who looked completely serene despite the commotion that was going on around her, and the fact that her teammates were arguing about something toward her immediate right.

"Well, yeah, besides them," said Kankuro as the three walked over to the shade of a nearby tree. "Is there anybody else that you guys think may possibly cause us some trouble out there? I'm sure you two have seen someone around here you're worried about."

"CAN I HAVE ALL THE TEAMS COME OVER TO THE STAIRCASE PLEASE?! ALL OF YOU! OVER HERE! NOW!"

"I guess you're going to have to wait a while before you get your answer Kankuro."

Kankuro scowled at his sister, but Temari simply smiled back in return before following Gaara over to the crowd that was gathering before the staircase. When everyone was finally gathered in one area, they all looked up to see a man standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a gray uniform, black trench coat, black boots, and a matching bandanna on his head. However, the man's most notable feature were the two long scars that stretched across his face. One stopped just below his right eye, while the other curved along his face's left side, through his lip, and stopped in the middle of his chin.

"Welcome to the Shinobi Showcase!" said the man, his voice deep, grating, and very far reaching. "My name is Ibiki Morino. I'm the head of Konoha's Interrogation Corps, but today, I am one of the main proctors assigned to this competition . . . There are many of you here today, but only a certain number of you shinobi will actually make it to the main round. This is where the preliminaries come in."

"Now then, I bet you all are wondering how many preliminary rounds you're going to have to face before they're over," continued Ibiki, voicing the main question that was going through most of the shinobi's minds. "Well then, I'll tell you. You will be facing two rounds, and a number of you will be eliminated with each round. Only a certain number of you will be making it to the main Showcase, and if more teams pass the second round than expected, a special _third_ round of preliminaries will take place to cut the numbers down some more."

"But how many people are expected to make it to the main round though?" Kankuro mumbled to his siblings as an annoyed look appeared on his face.

"I guess him and the other officials are going to keep that number a secret until it's time for the final reveal." answered Temari as she continued to look ahead.

 _I don't care about the final number of people allowed in the main round,_ mumbled Shukaku. _All I care about is spilling some blood before the competition is over._

" _Blood, blood, blood . . ."_ grumbled Gaara as he subtly shook his head. _"Is that all you can really think about right now?"_

"Right now, you all will be ushered into different classrooms here at the Academy. The monitor assigned to your room will give you further details on today's first round," said Ibiki as he pointed to the building they were all standing in front of. "It's time for you all to come inside, and here's a piece of advice: I suggest you pick your classroom _wisely_."

The crowd of shinobi followed Ibiki into the Academy, past the main lobby and up a set of stairs to the second floor, where they reached a hallway lined on both sides with jonin dressed in the same uniform that Ibiki was wearing. And as Ibiki explained earlier, a jonin monitor was standing by each open classroom door.

"Like I said before, I suggest you pick your classroom wisely," said Ibiki as he stood beside the open door at the very far end of the hallway. "Now then, CHOOSE!"

"Which room should we go with?" Kankuro quickly asked as he looked around the hall to see that some teams were already entering random classrooms while others were still weighing their options. "Any ideas?"

"We should go in the same room that our biggest competition will be in," suggested Temari as she looked around the hallway. "It's best to keep our eyes on our biggest threats at all times. If they make a mistake and show weakness, then we'll know about it."

"Then I know exactly which room we should enter." said Gaara as he looked down the hallway at the doorway that Ibiki was standing next to, which happened to be the same doorway that Princess Shizuka and her team just entered. His elder siblings nodded their heads in agreement with the redhead's assessment, and quickly followed their little sibling down the hall. When they entered the large classroom, they saw that many other teams had the same idea, including Prince Naruto and his team.

"Damn, a lot of teams came in here," said Temari as she looked around to get the layout of the classroom. It was simply designed at best, with the tables being long enough to fit three people and organized into three separate columns. "And a lot of them look like stiff competition."

"I think using the phrase _'a lot'_ is a bit of a stretch," said Kankuro as he resisted the urge to chuckle at one team that consisted of a girl looking at her reflection in the window, a boy snacking on a bag of chips, and a second boy who already looked half asleep and had his hair tied up in a way that made his head look like a pineapple. "Some of these guys look like they should be eliminated already."

"Appearances can be deceiving. You should never misjudge your enemy," said Ibiki, startling Kankuro so much that he almost jumped out of his sandals. "If you really are that simpleminded toward others, I suggest you leave right now Prince."

Kankuro didn't have enough time to respond to the older man's words. The intense stare he received from Ibiki instantly made him tongue tied, much to Gaara's slight annoyance and Temari's chagrin. Ignoring the silent prince, Ibiki walked back over to the open door and immediately slammed it shut, instantly gaining everyone else's attention.

"I want everyone to take a seat, but do not sit next to either of the teammates you walked into this room with. Separate yourselves from each other as best as you can," ordered Ibiki as he walked over to the teacher's desk. "You have thirty seconds. Your time starts now!"

Not wanting to agitate the Proctor Ibiki any further, everyone quickly got into a seat, with some holding back more than others. One of them happened to be Gaara, who stood back as everyone scrambled for their seats. When the dust started to settled, he saw that Princess Shizuka was sitting in the back of the room at the last table of the middle column. She was sitting in the middle seat, with the chair to her left being already filled by a shinobi from the Rain Kingdom. The chair to her right was still empty.

 _So we're going to sit next to the Ten-Tailed jinchuriki after all huh?_ Asked Shukaku, his tone laced with amusement as Gaara made his way to the back of the room. _This should be interesting._

" _Shut up tanuki,"_ Gaara retorted right back as he reached the Fire Princess' table. He took off his gourd and placed it next to his chair before sitting down. The shinobi from the Rain Kingdom shot the prince a curious glance, but Shizuka never moved her attention away from the front of the room. She was practically still as a statue. _"And she doesn't even spare me a second glance."_

 _Maybe it's because you and your siblings tried to spy on her the other day. . ._

" _Again, shut up tanuki."_ Gaara ordered as he noticed that Ibiki had a stack of papers in his hands. _"Papers . . ? This should be fun."_

"This first round of preliminaries is simple at best, and probably the easiest round you will face in this entire Showcase," Ibiki calmly explained as he held up the papers. "You all will be taking a 10 question exam."

"What the fuck?!" "Is he serious?" "But I didn't know we even had to study for a test!" were some of the answers that Ibiki got for his troubles. He simply brushed the comments aside as he began to pass papers, face down, and pencils along the tables.

"I repeat, you will all be taking a 10 question exam, and you will have only one hour to complete it," Ibiki further explained as he looked around the room.

"Um, excuse me, but is there a benchmark score we should strive for?" Sakura asked from her spot in the front row.

"A benchmark? Hmm, I'll let you guys ponder that one," said Ibiki, his smirk inspiring a feeling of dread among most of the shinobi. "However, there is one thing that you should know about this exam. If by any chance you quit this exam and forfeit your place in the Showcase, you'll not only take yourself out of this competition, but you will be taking out your teammates as well. Simply put, if you decide to leave, the whole team must leave."

 _Hmm, this first round does not leave much margin for error._

" _You're right. One person's decision to quit can cost the whole team."_ Gaara further added as he looked down at the face down piece of paper.

"Now then, you have your instructions. You can turn your papers over and begin your exam. You have one hour!"

Everyone turned their sheets over and instantly, shock and more dread became evident on the shinobi's faces as they read over the questions. Despite the fact that only nine questions were on each sheet, it was apparent that the level of difficulty in each question was much higher than originally expected, especially since most of the field were officially ranked as genin, aka rookies. All of the royals in the room were included in this category.

" _They expect us to know the answers to all of this huh?"_ Gaara grumbled to himself as he looked over the sheet. He then took a quick look around in search of his siblings. His brother's face was an absolute mask of disbelief, even with the face paint on, as he continued to look at his sheet in the second row. As for Temari, she looked completely calm from her seat in the front corner of the room. She always did considered herself the most booksmart of the three siblings.

 _They're definitely not making this easy for you little squirts. I guess the organizers made it a priority to really cut down the numbers this year._

" _And they're plan is already starting to work."_ said Gaara as he looked up to see that two teams were already leaving the room, cutting their time in the Showcase short. He didn't linger on them long, because a swift movement had gained his attention from the corner of his was Princess Shizuka, and she was already halfway finished with her test. _"Okay, that's impressive."_

 _The girl already has that much of the test completed, despite the level of difficulty. She must have studied under some really good tutors . . . Too bad you can't really cheat off her, with you two sitting next to each other and all. You would be accused of cheating right off the bat._

" _Cheating . . . You just gave me a good idea Shukaku,"_ said Gaara as he brought a hand to his forehead, his middle and forefinger touching the skin right above his right eye, obscuring it from view. His action would seem normal to most, but in truth, he was discreetly molding his sand together until it became a replica of a human eye with the slightest of movements. _"I should have known that this test wasn't going to be as straightforward as it sounded. Of course they gave us these hard questions, knowing that most of us would find them difficult if we had to answer them on our own."_

 _They want you to cheat . . ?_ mumbled Shukaku. _Oh! I see. They're not really testing you squirts to see how much knowledge you have in your pea-brained skulls. They only gave you this test to see how well you can cheat without getting yourselves caught. . . And I see you're going to use the Third Eye technique to do so._

Gaara quickly sent his Third Eye up to the ceiling without anyone noticing and placed it behind a light fixture. The angle prevented him from spying on anyone in the back of the room, so he was forced to focus on those in the front. He paid particular attention to his sister and Sakura, both of whom had already completed most of their tests. He quickly wrote down the answers and set the test aside before dissolving his Third Eye. He finished everything in less than 12 minutes.

 _Hmm , that wasn't so bad, but there's still an issue with the tenth question,_ said Shukaku as another group left the room. _For starters, what the fucking hell is the tenth question?_

" _I think we'll find out soon enough."_ Gaara calmly answered as he looked around the classroom. Shizuka was already done with her test. So was Temari, Sakura, and a few others, including the boy with the spiky, pineapple shaped hair. Others were still testing, with some, like Sasuke and Kankuro, calmly answering the questions while others, like Naruto, were visibly struggling.

 _Hmm . . . I should have figured that some people would finish faster than others, and the way some people are cheating is actually more discreet than others._

" _It's definitely not as obvious . . ."_ Gaara mumbled as he looked around the room to see more and more shinobi finishing their tests. _"But the only thing that I'm concerned about is the unknown tenth question. What could it actually be?"_

 _I believe we're about to find out, young redhead._

 _Ryuna!_ Shukaku growled in disbelief, his voice reverberating throughout Gaara's skull so much that it made the redhead clutch his skull, as if he was gaining a sudden migraine.

" _Ryuna?"_ Gaara asked, his voice laden with shock as he listened in to see if the Ten Tails would speak back to him. But alas, he got no answer. The beast remained silent, as if she had never spoken in his head to begin with. _"Was that really the Ten Tails speaking to me just now?"_

 _It definitely was, but she's not answering back . . . She was probably checking to see if the link between me and her was still working or something._ mumbled Shukaku, who no longer sounded like he was surprised by his fellow beast's apparent intrusion into Gaara's head. Actually, he sounded like he was used to it.

"I see . . ." Gaara whispered to himself as he noticed that Shizuka had the tiniest of smirks on her face from the corner of his eye, as if she was in on a little secret. A secret that was for jinchurikis only.

"Alright, there are 15 minutes left for this test, and all of you appear to be finished with the questions on the sheets I've given you. Well, most of you," said Ibiki, his voice cutting into the silence of the room. "It's time that I give you guys the tenth question, well, if you choose to accept it anyway."

"If we choose to accept it?" asked a boy dressed in what could be described as the most ridiculous outfit that Gaara had ever seen a shinobi wear. Despite looking _different_ , the clothes were simple at best: a green bodysuit, orange legwarmers, and bandages wrapped around his arms, wrist, and half his hands. "What do you mean by that?"

"Before I tell you what the last question is, I am giving you all a choice," said Ibiki. "If you choose to take on this question, which will be the hardest of the bunch, and you fail to answer it, you and your team will leave the Showcase regardless of how well you did on the rest of the test. And, you will be banned from participating in any further Showcases from this day onward. If you choose to leave now, you will remain eligible for future Showcases, but you will be eliminated from this one . . . I'll let this settle in your heads for a minute."

 _They really are not making things easy for you brats,_ mumbled Shukaku as a sizable amount of the remaining shinobi started to get out of their seats. With their departure, only half of the total shinobi that came into the room in the beginning remained. _It's amazing how much of you will just quit as soon as they hear something detrimental._

"Really? This much of you are still staying in this thing?" Ibiki asked as he looked around the room, his voice sounding unimpressed. "I don't believe it. I'm sure some of you are still thinking about leaving. Some of you look like you _want_ to leave. I won't judge you if you decide to go now . . ."

Still, those remaining in the room stayed in their seats, never budging despite the proctor's 'insistence'.

"Hmm, what about you Naruto?" asked Ibiki, his eyes going straight to the Fire Prince as he sat in the middle of the room. Gaara turned his head to see that Shizuka now looked mildly interested in this sudden turn of events. Her eyes were trained on her brother like a hawk. "Are you thinking about leaving Prince? I know as the heir to your father's throne, you have a lot of pressure on you to do well, but I'm sure he'll be okay with finding out that you decided to leave early."

"Not a chance!" the blonde exclaimed as he unabashedly shook his head. "I'm not quitting this Showcase that easy. You're going to have try a different tactic if you want to see me leave."

"I should have known he would react that way," Shizuka mumbled as she leaned back in her chair. "He hates it when someone suggests he should quit something."

"Is he really that stubborn?" Gaara asked, inwardly shocked that he managed to talk to his fellow royal so easily, and without that much restraint to his usually monotone voice.

"You have no idea. Quitting is just not in his vocabulary," said Shizuka as she turned to the redhead. "Just like how sleep isn't a part of yours I'm guessing."

 _Ooh, she got you there flesh bag!_ Shukaku cackled as he failed to hold back his chuckling.

" _No thanks to you, you damn tanuki!"_ Gaara told him right back, but Shukaku simply ignored him. "And let me guess, friendliness isn't really a part of yours?"

"To be honest, not really. My _background_ really hasn't helped me in the 'friends' department." said the princess, her voice solemn as she looked down at her stomach.

" _You and me both."_ said Gaara as he looked down at his own stomach, where the seal that kept Shukaku at bay was put in place. His comment earned him a snort from the tanuki, but before Gaara could say something back to it, Ibiki's voice stopped him short.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ALL PASSED THE FIRST ROUND!"

 **A/N: I figured it would be nice to put in some Gaara-Shizuka interaction toward the end. As for Ryuna speaking in Gaara's head, there may be more of that and vice versa in the coming future. . . Well, maybe.**

 **Anyway, please review!**


	5. The Forest of Death

Chapter 5: The Forest of Death

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ALL PASSED THE FIRST ROUND!"

 _WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK?!_

Shukaku's sudden, and very abrasive, exclamation echoed throughout Gaara's skull, sending shocks of pain throughout the prince's head that it ended up making him visibly flinch. The tanuki's sentiment was shared with pretty much everyone remaining in the room, sans Ibiki, who looked quite smug about his latest reveal.

"Like I've said before, I'll say it again: Congratulations: you all passed the first preliminary round." the proctor calmly stated as he leaned himself against the sensei's desk. "The Showcase isn't just an event for people to watch and make monetary bets on. It's also an event that tests your skills as shinobi. This first preliminary was designed to test your critical thinking skills and your ability to collect information. . ."

"In other words, you were testing us all to see how smart we were or how well we could cheat off of others." Sasuke further added as he leaned back in his seat. He sat three tables away from Gaara and Shizuka's own.

"Exactly, what you just said Sasuke was two of the three things that you were all tested on. The third thing that you were tested on was how willing you all are to face the unknown," said Ibiki. "Because you all decided to remain in the room - despite not knowing what the tenth question was, whether or not you would get it right, and the consequences for if you got the question wrong - you chose to go with the unknown instead of the certain path. That itself was the tenth question, and you all passed with flying colors."

 _I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They are not making it easy for you brats._ Shukaku mumbled, but Gaara only paid half attention to him as a brownish figure crashed through the window that was closest to the front, startling half the room as glass flew everywhere.

A few tense seconds passed by before the figure stood up from its crouch. The figure was a woman in an open brown trench coat. A smile stretched across her pale face as her snake-like eyes scanned the room, the intensity of it starting to rattle some of the remaining competition.

"Anko, what have I told you about bursting through windows to make an entrance?" Ibiki chided as a scowl came across his face.

"Oh Ibiki, you know simply walking through doorways isn't my cup of tea," said Anko as she dusted pieces of glass from off her person. "I like to make my entrances, more entertaining."

"More entertaining, or more _frightening_?" Ibiki asked as he raised an eyebrow. Anko simply answered him with another grin, which Ibiki simply rolled his eyes at. "Why am I even bothering to ask . . . I'll leave the class to you from this point on."

"Good, and don't worry Ibiki. I'll take good care of these guys." said the woman as Ibiki made his way to the door.

"It's not them that I'm worried about." the man grumbled as he left the room, the door closing behind him with a sharp thud. Anko pouted at the door a few seconds longer before turning her attention on the silent classroom, her exchange with Ibiki gaining a mixture of emotions from the remaining shinobi.

"Hm, I suggest you all forget about what just happened here and start focusing on how you're going to get through the next round, because it starts right now," said Anko as she addressed the class. "My name is Anko Mitarashi, and I'm the head proctor for the second preliminary round."

 _Hmpfh, didn't strike me as the proctoring type . . ._ mumbled Shukaku, which was a statement Gaara couldn't help but agree with.

"Okay, I may not appear to be the kind of person to do something such as proctoring, but I was specifically assigned to oversee the second round because the event planned for it is based on something I'm a bit of an expert in: _survival_." said Anko, her eyes now looking completely serious. "Everyone, follow me. It's time I showed you all where you will be competing at next."

" _Proctor Mitarashi mentioned that this second round is about survival,"_ thought Gaara as he slowly stood up from his seat. _"Which only means that wherever she's leading us to must be considered a dangerous place."_

 _That's fine by me,_ said Shukaku, his voice verging on erratic. _If it's dangerous, then that means there's a greater potential for bloodshed. We may finally get to kill something in this damn competition, maybe even one of your fellow competitors if we're that lucky.  
_

" _Of course you would look forward to something like this,"_ Gaara thought as he put his gourd onto his back. _"The spilling of someone's blood is the only thing that makes you real happy."_

 _Guilty as charged . . . And come on fleshbag. I bet you're looking forward to it as well. This second round may give you the chance to take out some of your competition in one sandy swoop, like the Uchiha kid, or maybe even the Fire Princess,_ if _you wanted to take a shot at her._

" _Did you just suggest to me the idea of taking on the Fire Princess?"_ Gaara couldn't help but ask as he snuck a look at the blonde walking just ahead of him. _"You want me to attack the girl that has your most powerful relative sealed inside her? Are you that serious?"_

 _It was just a suggestion. I didn't say you_ must _take a shot at her._ Shukaku was quick to correct as Gaara resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Anyway, like I said, the Uchiha kid is a possible target if you want to go for him. . . You can also try for some of the smaller fry still in this thing, but they won't be as satisfying as those with more power behind them._

" _You always did prefer the blood of powerful shinobi."_ Gaara grumbled as he exited the classroom. His siblings were right beside the doorway waiting for him.

"That was probably the most ridiculous test that I've ever had to do . . ." Kankuro grumbled as he thrusted his hands into his pockets. "If it weren't for my puppets, I would have been fucked . . ."

"At least we know who we would blame if we had suddenly found ourselves eliminated from the Showcase," said Temari, her comment earning the puppeteer's ire. "Oh come on Kankuro, we all know you were struggling at first . . . Anyway, the field has definitely been cut down quite a bit, but from the look of this hallway alone, there's still quite a lot of teams still in this thing."

"I seriously hope that this second round really cuts the field down. The less people in the showcase, the easier it'll be to win this thing," said Kankuro as he looked ahead at the large crowd before them. "Any idea on what this 'survival' themed second round may entail?"

"Four words: The Forest of Death."

 _I like the sound of that._ Shukaku couldn't help but admit, but Gaara simply ignored him. "The Forest of Death Temari?"

"If it's a survival themed challenge, then Konoha's Forest of Death is the most likely place Proctor Mitarashi is leading us to," explained the blonde as she turned to the redhead. "It's a gated off area located on the outskirts of Konoha. It has gained notoriety for being one of the deadliest places in all the kingdoms. People have to sign waiver forms excusing the Fire Kingdom of any liability in their potential deaths before going inside. . . If the organizers really don't want that many people moving on to the main showcase, then the Forest of Death is the best place to lose some people."

Kankuro opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it right back and stared straight ahead, his eyes looking slightly unsure at what lied ahead of him. Gaara took what Temari said and filed it to the back of his mind, not wanting to fret on it too long. Then again, he wasn't one for fretting regardless.

It didn't take long for the remaining competitors to arrive at their somewhat desired destination. After jumping from rooftop to rooftop, the remaining competitors arrived to see a large crosswire gate separating themselves from a large, thickly dense forest. Entry points were scattered along the gate at 50 feet intervals, and in between two entrances was a booth manned by two Konoha jonin.

"Alright, gather round! I'm only going to say this once. I don't plan on repeating myself!" exclaimed Anko as she stood in front of the booth. "Behind this gate is the Forest of Death, the location for the second round of these preliminaries."

"Now then, your objective for this challenge is to claim a set of these," said Anko as she took out two scrolls from her coat's pocket. One was marked with the kanji for earth while the other was marked with the kanji for heaven. "The Heaven and Earth scrolls. Each team will get one of these scrolls at the booth right behind me. You will have to get the other scroll you need by stealing it from another team inside the Forest of Death."

"Now, just because you have both scrolls doesn't mean the challenge is over for you. You have to bring the scrolls to the tower located in the center of the forest, within five days time, in order to pass the challenge. There is no extension. Five days is all you have."

"Huh, all we have to do is steal the opposite scroll to the one we'll have and bring it to a tower within the next 120 hours," said Kankuro as he brought a hand to his chin. "That doesn't sound too hard."

"You forgot about the part where we will have to navigate through a deadly forest with unknown creatures and dangers in order to get to said tower Kankuro," Temari chastised as she shot her brother an annoyed look. "Anything can happen here. Quicksand, poisonous animals, ambushes . . . Who knows? We may run into something that not even Gaara could handle."

 _How dare she say that!? As if there was something that my sand couldn't beat._

" _One word, you damn tanuki: Water"_

 _Oh shut up Gaara!_

"Now then, there are some rules that you must know if you're going to get through this task successfully," said Anko as she stuffed her scrolls back into her coat. "If you lose the scroll you start with, you are not immediately disqualified. You just have to work that much harder to claim two scrolls instead of one. If you try to bring two scrolls of the same type to the tower - for example, two Heaven scrolls - you won't be allowed entry into the tower unless you have one of each type."

"You must not open your scrolls until you enter the tower. If you open your scrolls too early, well, I think I'll keep that a secret . . . How you claim a scroll from another team is up to you. If you have to kill your fellow competition in order to get what you want, then so be it. This is why we make you sign waivers before entering here. Do any of you have questions?" asked Anko as she scanned the group. No one uttered a single word. "Good. Now then, get with your teams and head for the booth. Once you get your scroll and sign your waivers, make your way to an entrance. One team per entrance please . . . The second round will start in 20 minutes."

The Sand Siblings joined the line right behind one of the teams from the Grass Kingdom near the front of the line. When it was finally their turn at the booth, they eached signed off on a liability waiver before claiming an Earth scroll and making their way over to an entrance on their right.

"Okay, so how are we gonna do this?" asked Kankuro as he leaned against the gate. "We have an Earth scroll, which means we'll have to get a Heaven scroll to complete the set. How exactly are we going to procure it?"

"A common strategy for this kind of challenge would be to head for the tower first and then ambush incoming teams to get their scroll, but like I said, it's a common strategy. A whole bunch of teams may have the same idea," Temari grumbled as she looked out at the dense forest before them. "We'd be wasting time fighting off other teams . . . We'll travel until we run into another team, preferably without them knowing. If they have the scroll we need, we fight 'em."

"And if they do not have the scroll we need?" Gaara asked, knowing very well that the tanuki in his head would bug him about it until he finally asked.

"Let's put it this way: Unless they attack first, we avoid them." said the blonde as she continued to look forward. Gaara simply nodded his head at that, but Shukaku was less than thrilled.

 _Why should we bother avoiding them?! The more teams we run into, the more opportunities we will have to kill them! The organizers do want the numbers dwindled down after all! We would honestly be doing them a favor._

Gaara chose to ignore the irritated tanuki, tuning the tailed beast out as the door before them finally swung open. The three siblings jumped through the entrance before the door was fully open, jumping onto the branch of the nearest tree and propelling themselves forward. Besides the sound of their sandals hitting branch after branch, the three traveled in relative silence, mainly to not draw any unwanted attention on themselves. However, it didn't take long for one of them to break the silence.

"Anyone else getting a creepy vibe from this place?" Kankuro mumbled, an unsettled look now appearing on his face. "I know it's called the Forest of Death for a reason and everything, but still . . . This place, it's just plain weird."

"I know . . ." Temari said in mild agreement as she continued to look forward. "It's as if the place is . . . alive somehow, as if it's watching us . . . Let's try to not focus on that okay? We have bigger things to worry about."

 _Sheesh . . . Are your siblings really that freaked out about a bunch of bushes and shrubs? What's so damn, fucking scary about plant life?!_

" _I see you're still mad about not going on a rampage like you wanted."_ Gaara grumbled as he jumped over a branch. _"Just get over it Shukaku. You don't always get what you want in life."_

 _Like how you can't be with your mother because she's dead? I guess you're right on that one._

" _Ouch . . . Did you have to bring up my mother as an example?"_ the redhead grumbled as he brought a hand to his chest, his heart echoing the familiar ache he felt whenever his deceased mother was brought up.

 _Yes, I had to go there. You deny me something I want. I counter that by bringing up a painful memory of yours. It works like a charm everytime. . . Now look alive brat. We got company._

" _Oh great . . ."_ Gaara grumbled as he and his siblings jumped down into a small open plain. The rustling of a nearby bush grabbed the three's attention, there eyes going straight over to a set of nearby bushes. They rustled until a second team emerged from their depths, their forehead protectors depicting the four straight lines of the Rain Kingdom. Gaara was quick to notice that the shortest of the three sat at his and Shizuka's table back in the first round.

"Well well well . . . if it isn't the royal team from the Wind Kingdom," said the tallest of the trio, most likely the team's leader. "I knew we would end up running into teams along the way to the tower, but I didn't think you three would be the first ones we'd see."

"Save the chitchat. We're not here to talk." said Temari as she took a step forward.

"Right you are Princess Temari. How about this? Hand over your scroll, and we'll let you live."

"As if we'll give our scroll to you three," Kankuro couldn't help but say with a shake of his head. "You're better off giving your scroll to us. If you do, we _may_ guarantee you that your deaths will be painless."

"Well aren't you a joker . . . You're definitely dressed for the part."

"What was that?!" growled Kankuro, who always took offense when anyone said anything negative about the traditional puppeteer garb he always wore. "Care to repeat that?"

"I'm sure you heard me loud and clear. Now give us your scroll or else we'll kick your asses." said the Rain ninja as he reached back to grab hold of one of the umbrellas he had strapped to his back.

"Why I'd outta . . ." Kankuro grumbled, but stopped himself short when he noticed his red-headed brother walking forward. "Gaara?"

"Enough talk," proclaimed the young prince, his pale eyes looking straight ahead at the Rain team's leader. "The more we keep this up, the more we waste time. This team decided to confront us, so a confrontation is what they'll get. If this Rain ninja wants to die, then why should we deny him his opportunity . . . We're going to settle this, now."

"Uh Shigure, do you really think this is a good idea?" asked one of the other Rain nin, his eyes shooting Gaara a worried glance.

"Yeah, maybe we should go," said the other ninja, almost stumbling over his words. "It's probably not the best idea to go against this team, especially the redhead . . . There's just something off about the red-, this situation."

 _He's probably talking about me, and we both know that Rain ninja meant you when he said that something was off._ Shukaku prodded as Gaara resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _So, what are you planning to do about it?_

"Shut it, Baiu, Midare! If the redhead wants to talk smack, then he better back his words up because I'm not backing down from this fight!" exclaimed Shigure as he took off one of the umbrellas on his back, threw it high in the air, and clasped his hands together. "SENBON SHOWER!"

" _To answer your question Shukaku, I'm going to finally grant you your long awaited wish."_

A multitude of sharp senbon needles erupted from the airborne umbrella and rained down onto the battlefield, all of them directed at the young redhead, making him disappear in a cloud of dust and needles. Shigure smirked as he watched as his weapons hit their target dead on, but he refrained from showing a grin when he noticed the relaxed expressions on Temari and Kankuro's faces. He watched with slight trepidation as the dust started to settle, and as soon as it finally cleared, a look of shock appeared on his face.

"Was that the best you could do?" Gaara asked, his arms crossed over his chest as his pale green eyes stared Shigure down. Shigure could only look on in horror, his mind trying to determine which was more shocking: the fact that Gaara was completely unharmed, or the fact that he was being surrounded by a barrier of sand. "Well?"

"How?" asked Shigure, his voice more agitated than fearful. "How is this even possible?"

 _It should be obvious._ Shukaku grumbed. _Is that boy blind or something? The answer is pretty much staring him in the face._

"Gaara's sand instantly responds whenever he's threatened. What you see here is an example of how his sand responds when he's put in danger, and no matter what you try, you won't get past his defenses." Kankuro calmly explained, since Gaara made no move to give an answer.

"His sand protects him? Like it has a mind of it's own?" Shigure growled out before suddenly running forward. "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!"

 _Oh great. We have another disbeliever here. Gaara, do me a favor and kill this guy already._

" _I'm not doing this as a favor to you Shukaku,"_ said the redhead as he stretched his hand toward the incoming Shigure. The sand followed his command, grabbing the ninja by the ankle and wrapping itself all around his body, leaving only his scarred face bare. _"I'm simply doing this because I do not want to waste any more time."_

"If you hadn't bothered to approach us, you may have escaped this day with your life." said the redhead, his voice void of any emotion as he caught the falling umbrella with his other hand. He raised his outstretched hand, the sand covering Shigure following the movement till he was a good distance up in the air.

Gaara didn't give Shigure enough time to plead for his life.

"SAND COFFIN!"

The sand covered Shigure's face, muffling the man's panicked screams as the grains of earth began to compress down on his body. The sound of bones breaking echoed across the area as blood shot out from the sand. It went in all different directions, some of it landing on Shigure's horrified teammates. Gaara protected himself from the blood splatter using Shigure's umbrella while Kankuro and Temari had already moved back enough to not be caught in the blood shower.

"Here!" said Baiu as he took out his team's scroll from his pouch. He set it down on the ground before moving a couple of feet back, and it just happened to be a Heaven scroll. "Here, you can take our scroll. Just please, let us go!"

"Hmm . . . I don't think so." said the redhead, his statement earning shocked glances from everyone. It didn't take long for his sand to follow his whims, enveloping the other two Rain nin in its grainy depths before crushing the life right out of them. And just like Shigure, there was barely any trace of them.

"Gaara, why the hell did you do that?!" Temari exclaimed as she stared at her brother in complete disbelief. "Was that even necessary?"

"You may think it is unnecessary, but I think it was a great way of killing two birds with one stone," Gaara calmly stated as he dropped the umbrella. "Not only did my actions cut down some of the competition, but it also served as a message to those that are still in the running."

Temari looked at her brother with confused eyes, but the sounds of leaves rustling brought her attention to somewhere on her right. She turned just in time to see three Leaf shinobi speeding away from the plain, disappearing into the trees. It was safe to say that the three didn't want anything to do with the royal siblings.

"I guess you do make a good point. . ." Temari reluctantly conceded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It may have been beneficial to us, but still, it was a bit cruel."

"You may not like it sis, but you gotta admit. Gaara's logic is pretty sound. With the literal, and I mean _literal_ , elimination of Shigure and his team, there's less people in this round than at the start of it. And as for the part about sending a message to the rest of the competition, if that team of shinobi running away right now was an indication, I think the message will be well received," said Kankuro as he picked up the Heaven scroll. "Well, we got the scroll we needed. It's time we made our way over to the tower . . . The faster we move, the faster we can get out of this forest."

Kankuro mumbled the last part to himself, but it was still loud enough that his siblings could hear the jist of what he was saying. The puppeteer quickly stuffed the Heaven scroll into his pouch before following after his siblings, Gaara now in the lead.

" _Are you satisfied now, you damn tanuki? I finally gave you what you wanted. A few deaths should soothe your spirit for a while."_

 _It's good for now, but it would have been better if you had killed the Leaf shinobi instead of letting them leave unharmed._

" _You seriously like to whine a lot Shukaku. . . It's very annoying, and very unfitting for a creature like yourself."_

 _Oh shut up you damn fleshbag! I don't need your criticism!_

" _And now you know how I feel living with you inside me for all these years. . ."_

 _SHUT UP!_

 **Please review!**


	6. The Tower

Chapter 6: The Tower

"Guys, you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Kankuro and Gaara both glanced at each other before turning to their sister, who was looking a little off to the left at something that was up ahead. They both followed her gaze to see a towering red and grey structure that looked to be about a half a mile away from their current position reaching up to the sky. It was quite noticeable among all the green trees.

A smirk appeared on Kankuro's face. "Huh, that must be the tower, and we made great time to. Has an hour even passed since this challenge began?"

"Probably, but we'll know for sure once we get there," said Temari as she strapped her fan back onto her back. "All I know for sure, is that we'll definitely be making it to the tower before the first day is officially up . . . That must be a record."

 _We would have taken longer if_ someone _would have just stopped to kill a few more shinobi as we were traveling through this damn forest, but no. That someone chose to ignore me to follow his precious siblings' lead._

" _Are you still complaining about that. Get over it Shukaku. We have a mission to accomplish, and it does not include satisfying your damn bloodlust. Besides, there's plenty of chances for shinobi to die in this place. It is called the Forest of Death for a reason after all."_

"C'mon guys, let's keep moving. We're in the homestretch now." said Temari as she leapt to another branch. Gaara, with a grumbling Shukaku still berating his mind, quickly followed after his sister, leaving Kankuro, who was slow to get up, to bring up the rear. The siblings traversed the last stretch of forest they needed to get through before coming to a stop right at the base of the tower's stone steps. Two Leaf shinobi stood guard at the door, but other than them, there was no one else around.

"Damn, we really are early." mumbled Kankuro as he looked around the small plain that separated the tower from the rest of the forest. "Makes you wonder how much time really did pass between now and when we first started."

"Do the math Kankuro. The clock above the tower entrance says it's 2:37 right now. This test started around one . . . So, how much time is that in total?"

"That's . . . that's 97 minutes," said Kankuro, his eyes widening at the fact. "That is a record."

"We can think about whether or not we broke a course record later," said Gaara, his usually monotone voice tinged with a bit of annoyance. "Let's go inside already. I'm getting a headache."

Kankuro and Temari knew from prior experiences that 'I'm getting a headache' was Gaara's code for 'Shukaku's nagging the hell out of me again'. They instantly shut themselves up, not wanting to earn any more of their brother's ire as they followed him up the steps. When they finally reached the door, Kankuro showed the two shinobi on guard his team's Heaven and Earth scrolls. Once the guards checked that the scrolls were the real deal, they opened the door for them before stepping out of the siblings' way.

The three entered the building and proceeded to walk down the long hallway, which eventually opened up into a large room. In terms of furnishings, the room was completely bare, except for a large parchment that was hanging on the middle of the wall before them. There was a closed door on the walls left and right of the three, but other than that, there was nothing else in the room to take note of.

"If you are reading this, you have been successful in completing the second stage," said Temari as her eyes scanned the parchment. "You are now allowed to open your scrolls. Make sure you open them both at the same time."

"Well, might as well . . ." said Kankuro as he handed the Earth scroll to his sister. "We crossed through one of the most dangerous places in all the kingdoms in order to get here with these damn things. We might as well get to see what's inside of them."

Gaara and Temari nodded their heads in agreement before turning their attention to the two scrolls in hand. With a quick glance to each other, Kankuro and Temari slowly knelt down before opening the scrolls and rolling them out along the tiled floor. The scrolls held the kanji pattern of a jutsu the three siblings instantly recognized, so all three took a few steps back before disappearing into a large puff of smoke. What emerged from the smoke was someone that none of the three expected to see.

"Baki?" Kankuro asked as the final remnants of the smoke disappeared. "You are what the scrolls summon?"

"The two scrolls you three were carrying all this time were indeed two halves of a summoning jutsu. And yes, as your assigned mentor, I was the one you summoned," said Baki as he moved his slightly askewed turban back into place. "The goal of this second round was for each team to bring one Heaven and one Earth scroll to the tower in order to use them to summon their sensei or mentor. Apparently, the organizers thought it would be a good idea for the teams to summon their respective adult to the tower rather than having us just get to this place ourselves . . ."

"So, while we did all the work getting our asses here, you just waited somewhere quaint until it was time for us to summon you?" asked Temari as an agitated look came across her face. Baki simply shook his head yes. ". . . Talk about a freeloader."

"What I want to know is how exactly could this summoning be even possible?" mumbled Kankuro as Baki scowled at Temari for her last comment. "The scrolls were randomized, weren't they? How exactly could the two scrolls we had be able to summon you specifically?"

"It's pretty simple really. You'll find your answer if you just look up toward the ceiling." said Baki as he pointed up.

"Cameras . . ." mumbled Gaara, not even bothering to look up like his siblings did, their eyes widening as they spotted cameras in each corner of the room. "You weren't just kept in somewhere 'quaint' as Temari said. Most likely you were staying in a room with monitors connected to the cameras in this room. When you finally saw us appear onscreen opening the scrolls, that was when you reversed summon yourself here."

"You are absolutely correct Gaara." said Baki, allowing himself the smallest of smirks. "To be honest, I was a little surprised that I had to reverse summon myself so soon. I thought it would take you a few more hours to get here, but you arrived here in a little over 90 minutes. You broke the course record."

"Well that's good to know, and at least we don't have to worry about the Forest of Death anymore."mumbled the puppeteer as he scratched the back of his neck.

"We may have gotten here in record time, but that also means we still have to wait a while before the next round commences," said Temari. "Proctor Mitarashi gave us five days to get here, and we didn't even use up a tenth of that time."

"That could be to your advantage," advised Baki as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll have more time to observe and gauge the strengths and weaknesses of any and all teams that make it through this round."

 _If they make it through this round that is._ . . Shukaku couldn't help but add in, his tone still sounding quite annoyed.

"And you wouldn't have to wait that long to start analyzing your opponents either," Baki further added as he looked behind them. "The next team has just arrived."

At the sound of incoming footsteps, the three siblings turned their heads to see that the team that was coming in included another royal. Princess Shizuka walked into the room, followed by her teammates, the brunette Haruka and the lavender-haired Nanami. All three took a quick look around at their surroundings before locking their gazes on the siblings and Baki.

"Huh, looks like we're not the first ones here after all," said Shizuka as she turned to Haruka. "Looks like Nanami won the bet after all."

"I take my winnings in crisp 10 yen bills Haruka." Nanami further added as she allowed a small smirk to grace her face, her glasses poorly hiding the amusement in her eyes. The brunette could only scowl at her, too upset to really say anything.

"The Fire Princess and her team made it here second. I doubt the rest of the teams will get here just as fast," mumbled Temari as the four watched the three as they walked up to the wall that had their next instructions posted. "I just don't see it happening."

"Hey, at least we know that we won't be completely alone here for the next five days." said Kankuro, his shoulders going up in a small shrug.

Temari simply rolled her eyes at that before continuing to observe the other team with Gaara and Baki. They watched as the girls unscrolled their respective scrolls before jumping back just as a cloud poofed into reality. When the smoke faded, a tall, slender woman with pale skin and long pale blue hair tied into a loose ponytail stood in its place. She wore the standard Leaf shinobi flak jacket over a black short sleeved shirt and matching shorts that stopped just above her knees. White bandages were wrapped around her arms until it went an inch past her elbows while a black bandanna was tied around her head, a steel plate with the engraved insignia of Konoha stitched right on its front.

"Damn, their sensei is a babe!" mumbled Kankuro as a small blush appeared across his face. His remark earned him a slap to the back of his head, courtesy of Temari. "What? She's hot, and I'm not denying it."

"Keep your opinions to yourself Kankuro. We don't need you advertising to the whole world that you're crushing on another team's sensei," said Temari, her face marked with disapproval. "Besides, she's looks way out of your league."

"Pfft . . . Really sis? _She's_ out of my league?" asked the puppeteer as he pointed to the woman currently addressing her charges. "I'm a prince of the Kingdom of the Wind for crying out loud! In truth, _I'm_ probably out of _her_ league."

"You're out of her league Kankuro." said Baki, his tone matter-of-fact and blunt, very, very blunt. "The woman you're talking about is Akame Ishida of Konoha's Ishida Clan. The Ishida Clan is one of the oldest, most respected, and most revered clans in all the kingdoms, as well as one of the most well rounded clans in terms of the ninja arts. Their status is on par with the royal families, including your own. . . Besides, I doubt she would waste her time with someone as hard-headed as you. You're taijutsu still needs work, and there's also the obvious fact that you're too young for her."

Kankuro looked downright annoyed by Baki's sudden, and harsh, critique of him, showing his disapproval by glaring darkly at the older man as Temari chuckled. Gaara was only half paying attention to the dispute between his older brother and their mentor. The other half of it was on the other group in the room, particularly on his fellow jinchuriki as she watched her two teammates argue about something trivial.

 _Careful Gaara. You don't want the girl to catch you looking at her do you? She may think that you're a creep or something._

" _Shut it Shukaku, and besides, I've been called worse and you know it."_ stated Gaara as he averted his gaze before Shizuka could take notice of him. It was in the nick of time to, because as soon as the redhead turned his head, the blonde princess turned her head for a curious glance, something that didn't go unnoticed by Gaara and Shukaku alike.

 _She almost caught you. . ._

" _I know Shukaku. You don't have to rub it in."_ mumbled Gaara as he noticed that the girls' mentor was pointing in his team's direction. The group didn't linger for long, as they quickly made their way over to the closed door on their right. "Where does that door lead to?"

"The door to the right leads to the room where all the beds are. Since this is a five day challenge, the organizers thought it was best to have sleeping and eating arrangements prepared for the teams that got here before time was officially up," Baki quickly explained as the princess' team disappeared into the dormitory. "The room to our left holds the cafeteria."

"Good to know, because I'm starving!" Kankuro exclaimed as he started making his way to the cafeteria. Temari and Baki followed after him, leaving Gaara behind as he continued to look at the door the girls' disappeared through. "Gaara, you coming?"

Gaara turned his head to see his siblings and mentor standing by the door. The redhead silently walked over to the three, sneaking one last look at the other door before following them into the cafeteria.

* * *

 **x~X~x**

 _ **Later, in the middle of the night**_

 _You're going to go find a freaking window so you can look at the moon again aren't you?_

" _Maybe I will, maybe I'm wont. It's my decision to make."_ said Gaara as he looked around at his surroundings. He was currently seated on his bed, one of many in the tower's large dormitory, contemplating on what happened throughout the day, which wasn't much. His siblings and Princess Shizuka's team were the only ones that made it to the tower on the first day, and the teams never interacted with each other throughout the afternoon, choosing to keep to themselves. They were separated even in sleep, with Shizuka's team sleeping in the beds in the middle of the room while the Sand Siblings made the beds in the far right corner of the room their base.

 _If you go look at the moon again, you're just going to prolong my boredom. You're better off killing the competition as soon as they get here rather than wait for them through the next four days . . . At least it would be more entertaining._

" _I guess we have two different ideas on the concept of entertainment. I'm not going to kill just because you need a bit of excitement in your life."_ said Gaara as he looked at his team, all asleep in their respective beds. _"I rather we not talk about this, period."_

" _Fine . . . What do you suggest we talk about then?"_

" _I want to talk about what happened earlier today, when your sister talked to us through your link with her. Do you have similar links with all of your siblings?"_

 _Pretty much, but I don't use them unless I really want to speak to them, and that's barely,_ said Shukaku, sounding quite annoyed at the prospect. _What happened today with Ryuna was probably just a fluke. It won't happen again._

" _Why do I have the feeling that you're the least liked sibling in your family?"_

 _Don't you even go there fleshbag, or else I will forcibly take this body over, whether you like it or not._

Gaara let the smallest of smirks show on his face, pleased with himself for managing to get under the tanuki's skin. Before he could try his luck with another witty reply, he noticed some sudden movement from the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head to see Shizuka sitting up in bed, her face looking quite disgruntled as the hair that wasn't tied back into her loose ponytail stuck out in different directions. She slowly looked around the room, her eyes stopping when she spotted Gaara looking straight at her.

"How long have you been staring at me like that?" asked Shizuka, her voice drowsy, yet blunt as she stared the redhead down.

"If you're thinking that I've been watching you since you first fell asleep hours ago, don't worry, I didn't do anything of the sort," Gaara calmly explained as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You only got my attention because I spotted you just waking up."

"I see . . . You don't even look remotely tired, now that I think about it," the princess mumbled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "You're an insomniac, right?"

"That's correct . . . What gave it away?"

"The dark rings around your eyes of course," said Shizuka as she slipped her legs out from under her covers. "I've met people who suffer from insomnia before, but the bags under their eyes do not even compare to yours. . . Makes you look like a tanuki for crying out loud."

 _So there is someone on this planet that won't mistake the rings around your eyes for those of a raccoon or a panda at first glance,_ said Shukaku, his voice sounding pleased. _I like her already._

" _Well that's a change. . . You usually don't like anybody, including me,"_ said Gaara as he watched his fellow royal as she put on her sandals. "Hmm, it's interesting how you said that my dark rings make me look like a tanuki. Most just compare me to either a panda or a raccoon, but you didn't."

"I have a tendency of saying things that aren't expected I guess." said Shizuka as she stood up and stretched. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"What's it like, not being able to sleep?" asked the blonde, her question catching Gaara a little off-guard. "It must be frustrating, right? Never being able to get a good night's rest while everyone else around you can . . . It must be lonely for you, in a way."

" _Except for the annoying tailed beast in my head that keeps badgering me to kill people every five seconds, including you . . ."_ Gaara thought to himself. Shukaku definitely wasn't amused by that line. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I guess I'm just curious. It's not every day I meet someone like myself."

"And how alike are we, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Isn't it obvious. You're a fellow jinchuriki of course," said Shizuka as she walked over to the door. "Shukaku has always been known as the tailed beast that always prevents his vessels from ever sleeping. Plus, the very noticeable rings around your eyes is a dead giveaway . . . I'm guessing you have known about me and my brother for a while now."

"My siblings and I have had our suspicions." said Gaara. He would have raised an eyebrow, well, if he had any.

"I see . . . Well then, this should be an interesting Showcase. I've heard that all of Shukaku's jinchuriki tend to share the same abilities, so I do have a feeling I know what to expect from you," said Shizuka as she looked over her shoulder to address the redhead. "However, something tells me that you're probably different than the jinchurikis before you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Gaara couldn't help but ask this as Izuka opened the door and turned to leave.

"I don't know. It's different. You're different, and that could either help you, or hurt you." said Shizuka, leaving for who knows where before Gaara could speak to her any further.

"Well . . . that was different." mumbled Gaara as he watched as the door closed shut behind her. _"And you've been quite silent for these past few minutes Shukaku. Cat got your tongue?"_

 _Don't joke with me boy,_ mumbled Shukaku. _And as for the Fire Princess, the last bit that she said . . . I highly doubt those words were purely coming from her._

" _What? You mean that maybe her tailed beast was influencing her speech?"_ Gaara suggested.

 _It's possible . . ._ said Shukaku. _Just make sure you watch out for her. With Ryuna being the one sealed inside her, that girl is very much a threat. One that you should best be wary of._

" _Thanks for the heads up . . ."_ thought Gaara, his opinions on the Fire Princess more messed up now than they were earlier that morning. _"I guess I'll keep your advice in mind."_

 **A/N: Yeah, it took me a while to finish this chapter . . . Hopefully, I can finish the next one in a much quicker timeframe. Please review!**


	7. Let the Battles Begins

Chapter 7: Let the Battles Begins

 _ **Five days later**_

"Okay, I'll admit it. I did not expect for so many people to have made it through the second round." Kankuro grumbled to his siblings as he stabbed his chopsticks into his breakfast. The three of them were seated at one of the tables in the far corner of the cafeteria, mainly to scope out their competition, many of whom were eating breakfast as well. "I was expecting three, maybe four other teams to make it through, but including us, nine teams succeeded in surviving the Forest of Death. That must be unprecedented or something."

"Considering there were 29 teams at the start of the second round, I think the Forest of Death did its job well," Temari mumbled in between sips of her tea. "However, don't expect this number to last for long."

"Of course it won't. The five days have finally passed, so the third round is bound to happen soon." said Kankuro as he plucked some eggs from off his plate. Gaara watched him as he brought it to his lips before turning his gaze away to stare out into the room.

"I don't think things will happen that easily Kankuro," mumbled the eldest sibling as she finished the last of her tea. "For as long as the Shinobi Showcase has been happening, how many groups usually end up reaching the third round?"

"Three to four, tops. Why'd you ask?"

"Well brother, if you look back on the history of past Showcases, there have been instances where more than the usual number of teams make it through the second round. However, not all those teams make it to the third round. Care to guess why?"

"The preliminary one-on-one round," Gaara stated bluntly, speaking before Kankuro could even get a word out. "The organizers are going to have us fight another ninja in order to make it to the third round."

"Exactly!" said Temari as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "So, any ideas on who's fighting who in the upcoming matchups?"

"All I know for sure is that I'm just hoping that I'm not matched with anyone who specializes in short range attacks and taijutsu," said Kankuro, who now looked a little downcast. "I believe I would be royally screwed if that was the case."

"Hmm . . . There's several opponents whose fighting styles fall along those lines Kankuro. You pretty much described half the field," said Temari, an amused look now dominating her face. "I bet this situation is making you rethink not practicing your taijutsu more than you should have."

"Don't rub it in Temari. Last time I checked, you don't fare so well when it comes to taijutsu either," said Kankuro, his lips curling into a small smirk as he watched as the amusement left his sister's face. "Then again, taijutsu isn't something that any of us specialize in, so why are we debating this in the first place?"

"You were the one that introduce the topic in the first place remember?"

"Hmm, Gaara got you there Kankuro." said Temari, looking quite pleased as the puppeteer shot their brother a blunt look, a look that the redhead ignored as he continued to observe what was going on in the rest of the room.

All the teams were there, with most of them chatting amongst themselves while the rest were too busy eating their respective meals to start any chit chat. Gaara's gaze lingered the longest on the two teams, Team 7 and Team 9. Team 7, which was Prince Naruto's team, was sitting in the center of the room, chowing down on their breakfast. On the other hand, Team 9, which was Princess Shizuka's team, was sitting a little further away from them, having already eaten their meal. While Haruka and Nanami were engaged in conversation, Shizuka sat in a meditative position about a foot away from them, completely tuning them out.

 _She's probably talking to Ryuna._

" _You really think so?"_

 _It's the only reason as to why she would bother to meditate in such a crowded and noisy area that I could think of. That, or she somehow finds peace in such busy areas._

" _Your insight is helpful Shukaku."_ Gaara mumbled, just as the ringing of a gong echoed throughout the room. "What the hell . . ."

"EVERYONE, OVER HERE!" yelled a male jonin standing in front of the cafeteria's lone exit. He was dressed in the standard ninja gear of the kingdom, and was holding a portable gong by a strap in his right hand and a small wooden baton in his left. "Please throw away your trays and follow me! It's time for the next round to begin!"

"Notice how he said _next_ round, instead of _third_ round." Temari mumbled as she got out of her seat and strapped her fan to her back. She picked up her tray and followed her brothers over to a trash bin, depositing their garbage before following the crowd out the room.

They were led down another hallway, the only light source being at the end of the tunnel, where a large door awaited them. When the group reached the end of the hallway, the jonin pushed the door open to reveal a large sparse room with a green tiled floor and an iron balcony that ran along the two longer sides of the room. The most notable items in the room was the large TV screen on the far wall and the large statue of two hands clasped in the ram hand sign right under it. However, everyone's eyes were locked in on one man who was standing in the middle of the group of mentors and supervisors standing in front of the sculpture, especially since no one was expecting to see him until the next round.

Then again, the Fire King was known to be a man to pull off some surprises from time to time.

"So, that's King Minato in the flesh. . ." mumbled Temari as the group stopped about ten feet away from the King and his group.

"Damn, at least we know which parent Naruto takes after," added Kankuro. Both Temari and Gaara quickly glanced at the Fire Prince, who was standing a little ahead in the group, before turning away, and both couldn't help but agree with their brother's assessment. Besides the difference in skin tone and head shape, and the whisker marks, Naruto was pretty much a younger doppelganger of his father. "I wonder why he's here though. Usually the monarch overseeing the showcase doesn't start overseeing it until the third round."

"Well, maybe he's just being a proud father, considering both his children made it this far," grumbled Temari, her tone slightly bitter as she started to think about their father. Kankuro simply nodded his head while Gaara continued to stare straight ahead. He didn't spare one thought to his father like Temari did. He already knew that he wouldn't have made the same effort the Fire King had made today.

"Well, well, well . . . Congratulations for making it through the Forest of Death. We had 29 teams start the second round, and out of those 29 teams, only nine remain," said Anko as she locked eyes with each and every ninja in front of her. "Unfortunately, that's also the bad news . . . Too many of you passed the second round, so we need to whittle the numbers down even further before we move on to the third round."

"And from this point onward, you do not need to lean on others to be successful. We've reached the point of the competition to where your teams are pretty much moot for the rest of the showcase," added Ibiki as he stepped over to Anko's side. "In simple terms: you're on your own, and just to let you know, it is possible that one of your future opponents may end up being one of your very own teammates . . ."

"Now then, before we begin, we are required by official Showcase rules to allow you at least one opportunity to exit the competition without any penalty held against you," grumbled Anko, who didn't sound too happy with the rule in of itself. "That opportunity is now. So, if anyone wants to leave, the exit is right behind you all."

 _There's no way anyone is going to leave now, not after making it so far._ Shukaku grumbled. _They made you pipsqueaks run through a danger infested forest for crying out loud! Why would anyone want to leave now after going through all that?_

" _Hmm, why don't you ask that silver haired ninja with the glasses for yourself? He's leaving right now."_ Gaara asked in return as the ninja in question started walking away from the group and back toward where they came. The redhead was quick to notice the familiar leaf symbol of the Fire Kingdom on the ninja's forehead protector when he turned to look at the group one last time before leaving, which got him to thinking. _"So, a lone Leaf ninja has decided to give up. . . 27 down to 26."_

 _And with his King in attendance too? Well that's just shameful, don't you think?_

Before Gaara had a chance to answer his question, a loud cough grabbed his attention. He turned his head just in time to see a second man move up to stand in between Ibiki and Anko. Unlike the two ninja on either side of him, he was dressed in the standard outfit for ninjas of the Fire Kingdom, complete with a forehead protector stitched onto the bandana he wore on his head. However, Gaara couldn't help but notice that the man looked a little on the sickly side, complete with a chronic cough to boot.

"Everyone, my name is Hayate Gekkō, and I will be the referee for this preliminary round and the upcoming third round," said Hayate. "The screen behind us will randomized the names for each matchup. Now, it's time to see who's going to be a part of the first battle of the day."

 _We better not be made to wait long,_ said Shukaku, just as the names started to blur in and out on screen. _I want to have my fun already._

" _It's not up to me to decide the matchups. You're just going to have to be patient until it's our turn to fight."_ Gaara said right back to the tanuki as the first two names were finally decided on. _"Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō."_

 _Yoroi Akadō . . . Who the fuck is that?!_

" _It's another ninja from of the Fire Kingdom."_ Gaara answered him matter-of-factly as he looked at the tall ninja cracking his knuckles as he stared menacingly at his Uchiha opponent, even with the sunglasses and fabric that covered his eyes and mouth respectively.

"Sasuke, Yoroi, you'll be our first competitors. Everyone else, up on the balcony."

 _Hmm, now that I think about it, that's one of the teammates of the guy that quit a while ago . . . Considering the_ condition _the Uchiha's in right now, this should be an interesting battle._

Gaara simply nodded his head before following his siblings up one of the nearby staircases and onto the balcony. When the siblings and their mentor found a good spot to watch the battles, Gaara snuck a look at Sasuke, who had a hand clamped down on the right side of his neck, which was something he kept on doing ever since his team arrived at the tower yesterday afternoon.

"I see you are both ready. I won't keep this delayed then," said Hayate as he took a step back. "You may begin."

Yoroi was quick to go through a few hand signs before leaping right at Sasuke, his right hand glowing light blue. Sasuke was quick to avoid some of the ninja's jabs and swipes, but the taller shinobi managed to finally catch him. His hand landed right on the Uchiha's forehead, sending the younger boy head first right into the ground.

" _Are you still keen on wanting Sasuke Uchiha's blood now?"_

 _Don't start sounding smug you damn redhead,_ Shukaku couldn't help but grumble his response as they watched Sasuke struggle to break free from the other ninja's hold. _Despite the other guy's obvious ability for siphoning off his opponent's chakra and then making it his own, there's just something about the duck butt head that interests me._

" _Did you just call Sasuke Uchiha 'duck butt head'?"_

 _Yes, yes, I did. Sue me._

Gaara refused to answer the tanuki, remaining silent for the rest of the battle that ensued below them. It ended up being a short one, as Sasuke promptly defeated his opponent with a swift and successful taijutsu technique before being taken away by his mentor for medical treatment.

 _Well that was quick, and there was any blood spilled in that matchup._ Shukaku grumbled as everyone watched as Yoroi was stretchered out the room. _Not an impressive match . . ._

" _Any fight without that much blood being spilled is unimpressive in your eyes,"_ Gaara was quick to say as the screen started reshuffling the names for the next match. _"And I doubt the referee will allow any of the matches to go that far either . . . Better luck next time tanuki."_

"Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame, can you please make your way down to the floor," called the ref as he looked up at the balcony. A spiky haired Leaf ninja dressed in a large light blue coat whose collar hid his mouth quietly made his way down to the floor, but Gaara's eyes didn't linger on him for long. His attention was more so drawn toward his opponent, a taller male from the Sound Kingdom, who had one noticeable detriment that no one in the room could ignore.

"It's amazing that the Sound genin wants to continue to compete despite his two dislocated arms," Temari mumbled as she leaned against the railing. "Sheesh, he has a better reason to quit than the Leaf guy that left earlier."

"For some reason, I doubt this Sound ninja is going to go down quietly," added Baki as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Your father advised you three to be wary of the Sound ninjas, so I suggest you don't take him lightly, despite his apparent ailments."

"Gee, thanks for reminding us Baki. We couldn't have remembered that piece of advice without you."

Baki sent a sharp glare Kankuro's way, his reaction making it obvious that he heard what the puppeteer said under his breath. Kankuro, for his part, kept his eyes glued to the battlefield, not even daring to look the older man's way as the battle started. Contrary to popular belief, the Sound ninja, Zaku, had regained some movement in one of his arms. He quickly went in to strike Shino in the head, but the attack was slow enough that the Leaf ninja managed to block it with ease.

However, the Sound ninja had a couple more tricks up his sleeve, blasting Shino away with a sound based jutsu from the middle of his palm, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. However, the Leaf ninja did not stay down for long.

"Damn, he got back up that quick," mumbled Kankuro as he stood next to his sister. "Did that attack even phase him?"

"I think the bugs coming out of him softened the blow," added Temari, her eyes looking a little disgusted as beetles started to crawl out from Shino's coat. "I guess this is the Aburame Clan's signature jutsu coming into play."

"The Aburame Clan is world famous for their usage of various insects in their clan's many techniques. Chakra eating beetles happen to be a signature of theirs," said Baki, his eyes going straight to the large arms of beetles that was crawling up behind the Sound ninja. "It might be weird to some, and disgusting to others, but it is quite effective on the battlefield. It's the main reason why the Aburames are one of the oldest clans in the entire Fire Kingdom."

"He's surrounded on two sides, and one of his arms are still in a sling. I wonder what he'll do next." said Temari, just as Zaku pulled his other arm out and directed it toward the swarm of beetles coming his way, his other arm facing his opponent. "Well there goes my curiosity . . ."

 _There's no way he could have pulled out that arm from his sling that quickly and not feel any discomfort in the process._

" _Are you saying that his arm is probably not injured and he just kept it in a sling to mess with his competition's heads a little to gain a slight advantage?"_ Gaara asked in return. _"If that's the case, if he could pull off a decent jutsu with just one arm, he betters his chances if the other one is just as okay."_

 _Too bad that's not the case. . . His arms just went limp._ True to what the tanuki said, Zaku's arms suddenly dropped back down to his sides, his face marred with sudden disbelief. _I bet you the Aburame kid commanded some of his bugs to enter the windpipes in the Sound ninja's arms to mess them up._

" _I'll be honest, you'd probably be right . . ."_ was all Gaara said as the battle reached a quick conclusion, with Shino backhanding Zaku to end the match.

"Two battles down, and neither have been that exciting . . ." mumbled Temari as she shook her head. Gaara couldn't help but notice how much his eldest sibling sounded like the being made from chakra sealed inside him at that moment. "Who's next?"

"Well, why don't you look up at the screen to find out?" suggested Baki as the medics took Zaku out the room on the stretcher while Shino made his way back to his team. The screen was already busy shuffling through the names for the next match, and when it finally stopped, all eyes in the room widened at the names chosen for the third match.

"And the first royal to fight is chosen," said Kankuro as a smirk started to appear on his face, just as a whole lot of murmuring started to happen amongst the teams. "This should be one to watch."

 _Hmm . . . This should be an interesting one. Maybe I'll finally get to see some actual blood spilled this time around . . ._ Shukaku growled in anticipation.

" _Yeah, maybe . . ."_ was all Gaara could say as he continued to look at the screen at the names, one he recognized more than the other.

Princess Shizuka Namikaze vs Hiyori Muguruma


	8. The First Look

**Sorry that it took so long to update. Finishing my first year in college means finals and a whole lot of projects to complete, but now that everything has come down a bit, I can finally get back to writing. So, enjoy!**

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Chapter 8: The First Look

Shizuka Namikaze vs Hiyori Muguruma

The names that appeared on the board had elicited the largest reaction from the competition so far. Most of it came from the Konoha genin, many of them buzzing with anticipation at seeing one of the royal children finally in action.

"I guess it's not a common thing to see one of the Fire Kingdom's royal twins showing off their skills for an audience." said Kankuro, who was slightly annoyed with the sudden reaction. "Sheesh, all this buzzing is making me think a swarm of bees are coming our way. It's starting to get annoying."

"It can't be helped Kankuro," said Baki, his visible eyebrow now raised in slight disbelief as he folded his hands right behind his back. "It's a common thing for royal families to keep the skills of their children a closely guarded secret from others as best they can for as long as they can. Usually, a royal child's skill set wouldn't become public knowledge until they were trained enough to defend themselves properly . . . The only reason your father ended up revealing your skills to some trusted members of the royal court earlier than expected is because of that training exercise that went too far years ago."

"Now that wasn't my fault and we both know it," said Kankuro, who was quick to get on the defensive. "Temari started it once she saw that spider crawling up her fan. All hell broke loose after that."

"But did you see how massive that thing was though?" Temari asked in disbelief as the conversation turned on her. "Of course, all hell broke loose! I had to kill it! I wasn't going to let that thing run around in the palace, especially one that was as big as a small dinner plate!"

"But you ended up extensively damaging the palace's main training room in the process," said Kankuro, a smirk now starting to spread across his painted face, while an embarrassed blush appeared on his sister's face. "Not to mention that you scared the living daylights out of some of the maids as they were walking by at the time."

 _Are you ever going to tell them that the spider was just a creation you made from your sand because you really wanted to see how well you could toy with your sister's emotions?_

" _Nope,"_ Gaara flatly stated, his tone inviting no questions. _"And I never will, and with you sealed up inside me, you won't either."_

 _You don't have to rub it in you know . . . That's just putting a little salt in the wound right there._

The murmuring heard throughout the balcony eventually quieted down, but the anticipation was almost palpable as everyone waited for the match to begin. A short, silver-haired girl dressed in a simple dark green kimono top, black shorts, and matching sandals grabbed the railing and swung herself down from the balcony with little fanfare. Most of the room's attention wasn't even on her. Most of the gazes were on her opponent, who was calmly walking toward the stairs to make her way down.

 _At least we know she likes to take her sweet time getting to places . . ._ _I hope Ryuna is telling her jinchuriki to pick up the pace already! I'm starting to get impatient here!_ Shukaku grumbled from within Gaara's mindscape. . .

. . . He wasn't the most patient of tailed beasts.

" _And leave it to you to come to conclusions without thinking things through first . . ."_ Gaara thought right back as he kept his eyes on the blonde. _"No action is done without a reason behind it Shukaku. She could have easily jumped over the railing like her opponent just did, but she chose the civilian way down . . . Now, why do you think she would do that?"_

"Hmm, it looks like the Fire Princess is employing a little psychological warfare before the match even begins." said Baki, unknowingly sparing Shukaku from answering Gaara's question.

"Psychological warfare?" asked Kankuro, a little oblivious to what the turban wearing jonin was talking about.

"I think I see what you're getting at Baki, and I'm not surprised that Kankuro hasn't yet" said Temari, smirking as she noticed her brother's heated glare. "The princess is trying to make her opponent uncomfortable. The longer she takes to get down there, the more likely a little inkling of doubt will seep into the other girl's head. Then again, the longer the princess takes, the more time the other girl has to plan," said the wind mistress as she turned her gaze to Muguruma, who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, a slightly unsure look now dotting on her face. "Oh wait. It's already unsettling her, slightly."

"Her headband indicates that she's from the Grass Kingdom . . . Good luck to her." grumbled the puppeteer as he folded his arms across the railing. Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if he just came up with a sudden plan. "I'll be right back."

"Now where are you going? The match is just about to start!" said Temari as she watched her receding brother from the corner of her eye. The two girls on ground level were now standing a few feet away from each other, giving the proctor their full attention as he repeated the rules for their benefit.

"Let's just say that I've decided to go make a new _friend_. . . Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough." said Kankuro, walking off with a wave of his hand. Baki was about to order him back, but the sounds of metal clashing cut him off before he got a single word out. He looked down to see the two girls now exchanging strikes, with the Grass kunoichi using a standard kunai and the princess using a wakizashi that she suddenly procured from out of thin air. "A wakizashi? I did not see that coming."

"It came from a seal on her left wrist . . . She didn't even use hands signs to unseal it," said Temari as she watched the two fight. ". . . This battle, it has barely started and you can already see a difference in their fighting styles. The Grass girl's style is abrasive, blunt, and there's a noticeable lack of finesse in some of her strikes, but on the other hand, Namikaze's a lot more fluid, yet strong and precise in her movements."

 _I usually don't agree with you humans, but your sister makes a good point . . ._ Shukaku mumbled as he watched the match through Gaara's eyes. _Now that I think about it, the Fire brat looks like she's toying with the girl more than fighting her._

" _. . . Or she's just gauging her skills and waiting for the right moment to strike."_ suggested Gaara, and as if fate had heard his very thoughts, Shizuka found her opening. She struck Muguruma right in the chest with a well-placed kick to the sternum. The hit sent the Grass kunoichi flying a few feet through the air, landing with back first on the hard ground.

However, the Grass kunoichi didn't stay down for long, getting back on her feet with a flip. When she was at her full height, she took a deep breath, involuntarily starting a coughing fit so strong that she ended up coughing up blood, a decent amount of it.

 _ **FINALLY!**_ _Someone has delivered a hit that spilled some blood! Sweet kami that took too long!_

" _I'm happy you finally got your wish."_ Gaara sarcastically grumbled as he watched the Grass kunoichi go through a set of hand signs. Chakra surrounded her hands as soon as she was done, becoming pointed along the tips of her fingers. A small, bloodied smirk stretched across the girl's face before she launched forward, narrowly missing nailing the Fire Princess in the shoulder. The royal managed to dodge the attack at the last second, but was quick to move again when her opponent tried a jab with her other hand, this time aiming for her chest.

"Channeling chakra to her hands to make her jabs extra sharp . . . That's a skill usually seen connected to those that know medical-based jutsus like the chakra scalpel." Temari mumbled under her breath, however, it was still loud enough that Gaara and Baki managed to hear it.

"You are right on that account Temari," said Baki, going into full sensei mode. "However, knowing medical jutsu isn't going to be enough to defeat the princess . . . I don't think she even realizes that the princess is still messing with her. She's may be playing right into her hand."

" _But what is she leading her into...?"_ Gaara thought, his face completely void of any emotion as he continued to watch the proceedings. He finally got his answer when the princess managed to create some space between herself and Muguruma. Without needing any hand signs, a chain made from pure chakra erupted from the palm of the princess' hand. She launched the chain right at Muguruma, but the Grass kunoichi dodged the high-speed attack, letting it crash into the spot she previously stood at. A decent sized crater now stood in her place. "What the fuck was that?"

"Language your grace!" Baki said in a reprimanding tone. Gaara simply shot the man a nasty look, but the turban wearing ninja continued. "And as for what just happened, what you just witnessed is the utilization of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, the trademark A-rank fūinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan, otherwise known as . . ."

". . . the clan of the Fire Queen" Temari finished as she snuck a look at where the Fire King stood. He was standing with the proctors of the two previous rounds on the balcony on the other side of the room, watching his daughter keenly as she used her chain as a whip. His face was void of all emotion, but his blue eyes easily conveyed the large amount of pride he held for his only daughter. "What exactly do these 'Adamantine Sealing Chains' do?"

"The jutsu can be used to serve a variety of offensive and defensive purposes," Baki calmly explained as they watched as the Fire Princess resealed her wakizashi. "Rumor has it that the technique is even strong enough to restrain a bijuu."

 _Hah! I'd like to see the Fire brat try using her chains on me!_ Shukaku cackled. _I bet you I could bust out of them with ease._

" _Since there's a possibility that both the Nine Tails and the Ten Tails were restrained with those chains, how in the world do you think you would have done much better?"_ Gaara deadpanned, quickly bursting the tanuki's bubble.

 _Way to ruin the mood you redheaded flesh bag! Can't you just let me dream?!_

" _You never let me dream. Why should I let you?"_

 _Damn you and the good point you are making . . ._

Gaara allowed himself a small smirk when he knew he had gotten to the bijuu. He brought his attention back to the match, just in time to see the Fire Princess break the chain from off her palm to use it as a makeshift bo staff. She then went on the offensive, her movements now so fast that her opponent barely had enough time to deflect her attacks effectively.

"She's picked up speed. The Grass nin can barely block her now," said Temari, who looked interested in the match more than ever before. She visibly winced when Shizuka smacked the end of her staff hard against Muguruma's cheek, sending her flying right into the wall, spider web-like cracks now erupting from the spot where she made impact. "Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark . . . Shizuka got some serious strength in those arms of hers if she's able to cause damage like that."

 _Ah, the perks of being a jinchuuriki,_ said Shukaku as Shizuka's staff dissipated into thin air. _Physically, Ryuna's jailers tend to be the strongest amongst the jinchuriki. One punch from her will surely send you flying if you're not careful . . ._

" _I'll remember that for when I may actually have to face her."_ Gaara flatly stated.

As for the Fire Princess herself, she quickly went through a series of hand signs before sucking in a deep breath, her eyes locked on her opponent.

"Wind Style: Dragon Gale Jutsu!"

The princess unleashed a torrential gust of wind from her mouth like a roaring lion, or _dragon,_ in her case. The attack struck Muguruma head on, scratching her opponent in various areas of her body before launching her right back into the wall with so much force that it knocked her unconscious on impact. Proctor Gekko appeared at the fallen kunoichi's side and checked her pulse before standing back up.

"Muguruma is unable to continue. Winner by knockout: Shizuka Namikaze!" he announced to the silent room as he motioned for the medics to come over. Shizuka simply nodded her head before using a shunshin to reappear beside her teammates.

"Dragon Gale Jutsu?" mumbled Temari, her face looking quite intrigued as she watched as the medics placed Muguruma on a stretcher, the room now abuzz with talk once again. "I've never heard of that technique before."

"Me neither. It must be an original jutsu of her own making, which is impressive to say the least," said Baki as he brought a hand to his chin. "It was definitely the most powerful jutsu she used in that fight, but it was easy to tell that she was still holding back."

"If that was her holding back, I do not want to see what she's like when she goes all out." grumbled Kankuro as he finally returned to the group.

"Oh, so now you finally come back?"

Kankuro scowled at the evident sarcasm he heard in his sister's voice. "What happened? You struck out in the friend-making department or something?"

"Uhm...you can say that," the puppeteer grumbled as he joined his siblings by the railing. "I figured it would be easy to strike up a conversation with Naruto, but I ended up being wrong on so many levels."

"Naruto . . . Wait, you approached the Crown Prince of the Fire Kingdom?! That's who you suddenly 'tried to become friends with'?" Temari said in disbelief as Baki and Gaara shot him blunt looks. "What were you honestly thinking?"

"I was thinking that if I managed to befriend the prince, or at least converse with him in some way, he would let slip some info that could have been important for the duration of this competition. Since I'm a fellow prince myself, I figured I would have a good chance in talking to the guy."

"You were hoping he would blab about his or his sister's abilities so you could think of an effective way to counter them, didn't you?" Gaara asked in a voice that was as blunt as his stare, sending shivers down the puppeteer's spine.

"No… I was hoping he would blab about his or his sister's abilities so that _**we**_ could think of an effective way to counter them," said Kankuro, who seriously wanted to run away from the very intense glares his siblings and sensei were giving him. "C'mon, at least I tried to gain some intel?"

"By doing it in one of the most obvious ways possible?" Temari asked, making Kankuro almost hit the floor in a facepalm. "Oh yeah, that was a nice effort on your part little brother."

"Were you even able to get anything from the Fire Prince?" asked Baki, ignoring Temari's blatant sarcasm as he turned to her younger brother.

"Well, I _tried_ to," said the puppeteer, earning his teammates' glares once again. "Hey! Naruto may appear as a bit of a loudmouth dressed in a 'kill-me-now' color, but he's definitely not someone who betrays his family's secrets. I couldn't really get anything out of him."

"Did you at least sense something _off_ about him when you were near him?" asked Temari. Gaara knew she asked that question due to her concerns in regard to the tailed beast. Hell, he would have asked the same thing to, but it just wasn't his style.

"Well, despite the way he looks, he's not dumb enough to be blatant with his power as you think he would," said Kankuro as he brought a hand to his chin. "When you get near him, it's, it's so deceiving. When you sense his chakra, it seems normal, _too_ normal almost, but when you get a second look at it, you can feel something just hiding underneath the surface, almost itching to get out, but is unable to do so."

"I see . . ." mumbled Baki as he noticed that the board had already decided the next matchup. "You're going to have to push your encounter with Prince Naruto to the back of your mind for now Kankuro, cause your match is next."

"It is?" he asked as he quickly turned to look at the board. "My opponent is Misumi Tsurugi. Who the hell is that?"

"Hmm, probably that glasses wearing Leaf shinobi making his way down to the fighting area." said Temari, sarcasm lacing her voice as she pointed to the black-clad genin making his way over to the proctor. The tall ninja was indeed wearing glasses, but the rest of his face was kept hidden by a black cloth. "Now that I think about it, I believe he's the teammate of the guy that faced the Uchiha earlier."

"Well, if he's anything like his teammate, I better watch out for any unwanted surprises." said the puppeteer, and with a wave of his hand, Kankuro left his siblings and sensei and made his way toward the stairs ready to get his match over with.

"Knowing that lug head, he'll use his usual strategy against his opponent. It's become his usual mo. whenever he's facing someone new." Temari grumbled, already looking irritated before the match even started.

"Kankuro does tend to be predictable in his fights. However, his strategies have worked in his favor up till now, and it may work again this time," said Baki. "You know what they say, if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Gaara stayed out of his sister and sensei's bantering, but his attention wasn't on his brother's match either, though he made sure he was looking at the battle to give off the impression that he was. His mind was still on the last match, particularly on the person that won it.

Ever since he first saw her, he couldn't completely figure her out. He knew that she was the ten-tails jinchuriki, and after seeing her fight, he knew that she was a capable kunoichi. However, he couldn't seem to get a concrete read on her mentality. Throughout the five-day rest period, Gaara has discreetly observed Shizuka, watching her go from lively and friendly to quiet and aloof in her interactions with her teammates and other shinobi. With each new person she faced, came a unique way of interacting with him/her. The only time he directly talked to her was in the training ground about a week ago, and he's still unsure about her to this day.

 _She's quite the puzzle for you, isn't she my little flesh bag._ said Shukaku, who was thoroughly enjoying peeking into Gaara's thought process right now. _You may be unsure about her, but you're a little intrigued by her too._

" _Intrigued by her?"_ Gaara thought right back. He found himself sneaking a look at the blonde girl in question, but he quickly averted his gaze when he saw her staring right at him with a curious look on her face.

 _Yeah . . . and from that look she was giving you, I think she may be a little intrigued by you two_

" _Shut up you damn tanuki!"_ Gaara grumbled, inwardly cursing himself due to his inner voice sounding a little weak to his ears.

 _I have a good feeling a little blood is running to your cheeks right now. If only the sand armor wasn't up. I would have loved to see how your siblings would react to seeing your first blush in forever._

" _Shut. Up."_

 **Please review!**


	9. From Match to Match

**Sorry for taking so long with this chapter.**

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Chapter 9: From Match to Match

Kankuro's match ended up being a short one. After the puppet-using prince appeared to have his neck snapped by his opponent, who had dislocated all his joints to 'kill' the prince in the first place, Kankuro ended up winning his bout by utilizing a bit of well-timed duplicity. Thanks to switching places with his puppet earlier in the day, not only did the puppeteer escape a very precarious situation, but he almost permanently damaged his opponent in route to winning.

"See?! I took care of that guy, no sweat!" said Kankuro as he rejoined his team on the balcony while a medical team took his opponent away on a stretcher. "If I had to be perfectly honest with you guys, it didn't even take that much effort on my part."

"Don't gloat Kankuro. It makes you look petty . . . You may have won, but trust me, that bait-and-switch move you tend to use isn't going to work with everyone you'll end up facing," said Temari, her voice taking on a slightly annoyed edge. "One day, someone is going to see right through your thinking and counter your tactic _soundly_ in response. . . What'll you do when your back is against the wall in that situation huh?"

"I would think of something to get myself out of it, duh." said Kankuro, speaking as if he was saying the simplest thing in the world. Instead of following her first instinct of slapping her brother upside his head with her war fan, Temari simply rolled her eyes before turning her attention back onto the battlefield, choosing to hold her tongue on the matter.

While Baki let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he wouldn't have to break up another brewing feud, Gaara remained silent. However, Shukaku was very vocal in his disappointment, his main complaint being about how he didn't get to see them battle it out and shed blood.

He had already pegged Temari to be the winner, hands down.

 _Sheesh, she could have, slapped the paint-wearing fool at least! That would have made the day that much more interesting for me!_

" _. . . And my siblings have unconsciously prevented you from getting what you want once again."_ the redhead thought with a mental smirk. Shukaku gave him a curt " _Fuck you!"_ in response. Ignoring the tanuki, Gaara turned his head to see the next two names appear on the screen. " _Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka."_

 _I have the sudden feeling that I won't like this match one bit._ Shukaku grumbled, looking through Gaara's eyes to see the girl with the long blonde ponytail and the girl with the uniquely pink hair walking toward the proctor. _Yep; from the look of those two, this match is probably gonna be a dud. Neither of them look like they got very strong ninjutsu in their arsenals. They both maybe 'iffy' at best in taijutsu, and who the hell knows how good they are in genjutsu! . . . This could end up being one of the poorer matches, maybe the poorest, in the bunch. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if it ended via double knockout, if they're that lucky._

About ten minutes later, both girls were lying on the ground, their bodies scratched, battered, and bruised. Each girl's right fist had connected to the other's cheek, knocking both unconscious on impact.

 _CALLED IT!_

Gaara ignored the demon's yelling, barely wincing at the volume of the tanuki's drunk-sounding voice. After Sakura and Ino were brought off the field, the next matched commenced, which happened to be Temari's match. She was pitted against TenTen, a Leaf kunoichi who specialized in using different kinds of weaponry. Unfortunately, the odango haired genin's versatility with blades was nothing compared to the crown princess' skill with a war fan. Any attack she launched Temari's way was blown right back to her, and with one especially powerful swing of her fan, the wind prodigy had the fight won, game, set, and match.

"Nothing to it. . . I was expecting a lot more from her though." was all Temari said once she rejoined her squad.

The next match started right after Temari's finished. The only female member of the lone team from the Sound Kingdom was matched against the heir of the Nara Clan. At face value, he didn't seem like much to the Sand Siblings, but surprisingly, Baki was quick to come to the boy's defense.

"Shikamaru Nara may not seem like much to you three, but that just plays into the overall image the Nara Clan likes to portray when their members are in the public eye."

"Overall image?" Kankuro asked, his tone curious as the match began.

"Yes, the members of the Clan usually appear as lazy slackers, mainly the male half, while the women are stern, and slightly hot-tempered. In truth, they're a clan of absolute geniuses. The current head, Shikaku Nara, is a testament of the clan's ideals. He's as lazy as his son, but his intellect and skills have seen him rise to be the Fire King's Chief Advisor and Strategist. In fact, the boy's father was a big part as to why the Fire Kingdom won the last major battle they participated in years ago."

Shikamaru's match ended up being just as short as Temari's, if not shorter. Using his intellect, and not that much chakra, the Nara managed to trap his opponent with one of his clan's signature shadow-based jutsus, making her bend backward until she knocked herself out hitting the wall headfirst behind her.

"Huh, he controlled her like a puppet and forced her to do what he did. Smooth . . ." mumbled Temari as she watched the boy make his way back to his team. "You're right Baki. He may seem like a lazy bum, but he definitely doesn't have the mind of one."

"I wonder if that move works on inanimate objects," grumbled Kankuro, his thoughts going straight to his puppets, but that thought soon went out the window once he saw who was up next.

All three Sand Siblings, as well as the rest of the field's, interests were piqued once they saw that the next match involved the Fire Kingdom's Crown Prince. He was pitted against a rather wild looking boy named Kiba, a member of the Inuzuka Clan.

"Is it just me, or does this Kiba guy look rather feral?" Kankuro couldn't help but ask. "And what's with the puppy on his head?"

"That's his fighting partner Kankuro," grumbled Temari, her head shaking in response to her brother's rather dim-witted question. "The Inuzuka Clan are known for using Cooperation Ninjutsu, usually with their ninja hounds. . . As for why he looks so feral, that's just a trait that all the members of his clan share."

 _It should be interesting to see what this blonde fleshbag can do. His sister was mildly impressive, and if he can't either match her, or deliver a better performance than she did, then I'll be sorely disappointed._ Shukaku half grumbled, half slurred his words as the two opponents faced each other on the battlefield.

" _You really have some high expectations for this match, don't you?"_ Gaara couldn't help but ask as the battle commenced.

 _Of course, I have high expectations for this match you damn redhead! That blonde fleshbag is the jinchuriki that holds my oldest brother, and I want to see what he's exactly capable of. . . I want to see how much of his power is truly his 'own'."_

" _Truly his own?"_

 _Kurama has a nasty habit of forcing his jinchuriki to use some of his chakra in battle whether they want to or not, just like me, but a little bit worse I think, but that's just my opinion. . . Anyway, the more he forces them to use his chakra, the better his chances are to influence his host's mind._

" _Oh; like you when you want blood and try to influence me, especially on the night of a full moon."_

 _Exactly! Though, I hate to admit it, I will. You've been getting better at pushing back against my advances. . . That's been quite annoying._

" _Well that's good to know."_ said Gaara as he watched the battle unfold. The one-tailed jinchuriki observed the competitors as they duked it out in what became one of the longest, and most heated, matches of the day. Both proved to be quite adept at taijutsu, with Naruto having the better speed, while Kiba utilized his partner and Cooperation Ninjutsu to great effect.

By the time that the battle was coming to an end, the floor was a complete mess, looking like a shell of what it once was, and thanks to a well-timed smoke bomb and a well-placed Substitution Jutsu, Naruto managed to pull out the victory. By switching places with a Kiba-looking Akamaru, the prince managed to seal the victory with a well-placed kick to the back of his opponent's head. The impact sent Kiba to the hard tile floor face first, knocking him out cold.

"Winner by knockout: Naruto Namikaze." the proctor finally announced after checking to make sure that Kiba was thoroughly unconscious. For his part, Naruto simply nodded his head before returning to his team, dinged up, but not needing any immediate medical treatment.

 _Hmm, the boy appears to have a strong will after all . . . I didn't sense a trace of my brother's chakra acting up in that battle._ Shukaku mumbled as he watched the boy through his vessel's eyes. _Maybe my brother is finally losing his clawed touch._

" _Maybe . . ."_ Gaara mumbled as he noticed the Fire King's face of approval as he watched his son rejoin his team. The redhead's eyes lingered on the blonde prince for a while, with good reason. He stood a couple feet away from what remained of his team with a faraway look in his blue eyes, one that Gaara realized he usually took on himself when he was talking to the giant mass of chakra sealed inside him. _"He's speaking to his tailed beast."_

 _Kurama is probably berating him about not using his chakra. . . That old fox is a stubborn piece of shit,_ said Shukaku as he broke into a cackle fit, and Gaara let him be until he eventually calmed down. _Now then, what's next on the agenda? Who's fighting who now?_

Shukaku's got his answer when the screen projecting the matchups finally decided on the next battle.

"Will Nanami Otoribashi and Chojuro Toriyama please come down for their match." said the proctor, coughing midway through his declaration. The lavender haired girl from Princess Shizuka's team and one of the boys from the lone Grass team ended up making their way down to ground level in response to his call.

 _Wait a minute … That's the same girl that said you had 'panda-like' eyes._

" _Oh yeah, I remember. You said that if anyone else made that same conclusion, you'd kill em,"_ said Gaara as he watched the girl. _"Do you still plan to kill her for making the error?"_

 _It all depends on how she performs in this match._

"Hold up a second: Her last name is Otoribashi? Isn't that clan known for producing legendary blacksmiths and sword wielders?" said Kankuro, his face showing his confusion as the match began. "I thought the Otoribashi Clan mainly resided in the Water Kingdom."

"That _was_ true, but the situation is a little more complicated than that Kankuro. You're right in saying the Otoribashi Clan mainly resided in the Water Kingdom, but that is no longer the case," said Baki as they watched Nanami dodge a kunai strike from her opponent. "Originally, the larger main branch of the Clan resided in Kirigakure, the Water Kingdom's capital, while a smaller, branch, group of the clan lived here in Konoha. However, the main branch ended up joining the branch house here in this village once the situation in the Water Kingdom became direr."

"Oh yeah . . . Isn't the Water Kingdom still going through some sort of civil war right now?" mumbled Temari, her eyes never leaving the battlefield. "Something about a purge?"

"According to our sources, the current Water King has ordered a purge of all clans that hold a kekkai genkai within his kingdom. Why he idiotically ordered this, your guess is as good as mine. The most likely assumption so far is that he's become very paranoid, or he's simply gone insane," said Baki. "However, his 'decision' is the other kingdoms' gain. Now that word has gotten out about the situation in that area, all the other kingdoms have now instituted an 'open-door' policy for any refugee clans that manage to escape."

"Which kingdom has gained the most so far?" asked Kankuro as Nanami took out a small scroll from her ninja holster. After rolling out the paper, she channeled chakra into the small kanji seal, releasing an elegant, and deadly, katana with an oval shaped guard, and a long hilt with a lavender colored fabric wrapped around the frame.

"From what I know so far, both the Fire and Lightning Kingdoms are neck and neck as the top choice for these refugees. Though, I've heard the Lightning Kingdom has been 'trying' a little too hard to attract clans to its mountainous doorstep." said Baki as he watched the match end in quick fashion. His eyes, as well as those of half the audience, widened as he watched Nanami disappear before reappearing right behind her opponent, who was already falling to the ground, a shallow slash wound stretching in a red smile across his abdomen.

"At this point, I think it's plain obvious who won this match. Winner by total knockout, Nanami Otoribashi." said Proctor Gekko as medical nin quickly ran over to Toriyama before he lost too much blood. Nanami simply nodded her head and spared one last glance at her fallen opponent before returning to her group, who looked very pleased with her win, and so was Shukaku.

 _I can't believe I'm saying this, but for the first time in my long history, I can say that someone is safe from my wrath after I originally wanted to kill them for a slight they delivered. Sure, her technique isn't my usual cup of tea - I'm more of a rampaging destructive type of demon - but that precision and speed showed a hidden bloodthirst that I can appreciate._

" _Wow, that was the longest compliment I've ever heard you said to a person, including me,"_ Gaara couldn't help but think as he watched as the Grass-nin was stretched out the room. _"She must have really made an impression on you if you're going to compliment her that much."_

 _Don't get used to it fleshbag._

"For our next match, can Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga make their way down to me!" declared Proctor Gekko as the two names he called appeared on the screen. A timid-looking girl with a _hime_ -style haircut and a stoic-looking, long haired boy both started to make their way down to ground level. However, the girl stopped when she was a mere foot away from Prince Naruto, who had quickly stepped over to her to speak a few quick words to her.

"Ah, so we'll finally get to see the Hyuga Clan's famed Byakugan in action." said Temari, having previously read about the powerful clan in one of her history lessons. "Hold up a second, are those two brother and sister?"

"No princess, they're not. They're cousins, with their fathers being twin brothers. While Lady Hinata's father is the head of their clan, Lord Neji's father serves as the head of the clan's main branch faction, as well as his brother's right-hand man." Baki calmly explained as Hinata finally made her way down to the proctor and her cousin, her timidity looking to have lessened quite a bit.

"Is it just me, or does it look like her demeanor changed since her talk with Naruto?" Kankuro observed as the two both took up taijutsu stances.

"From what I've heard since we've been first arrived in this village, Lady Hinata has always been on the shy side despite being her father's heir. Apparently, it was worse during her younger years, to a point that some in the clan thought it would be a better option to pass the heirship to the younger sister, Lady Hanabi," Baki answered as the proctor signaled for the two fighters to begin. "That was, until she became a part of the royal children's group of friends."

The cousins ran toward each other at great speed, striking and blocking each other with opened palm thrusts and precision strikes. While Neji had the better precision, using his weight and technique for more power behind his strikes, Hinata was, by far, the more flexible of the two, dodging and weaving around her cousin's hits and striking when the opportunity showed itself.

 _I gave up on seeing blood in this match once I realized two Hyugas were going to be facing off against each other._ Shukaku grumbled as he watched the battle through his vessel's jade eyes. _The Byakugan is a dojutsu well-known for allowing the user to see the chakra pathways of his or her opponent, and the Hyugas have used it to great effect, developing their own taijutsu style to use their eyes to great effect. . . They seem evenly matched, but I must give the edge to the boy at this point._

" _And I wouldn't fault you for it, if I had to be perfectly honest with you. His opponent already looks like she's tiring."_

And just as Gaara had this thought, Neji struck, hitting the Hyuga heiress squarely in her chest when she left herself open after blocking another one of his attacks. The hit landed close to her heart, and as a result, Hinata ended up coughing up a large amount of blood. Realizing that she was distracted, Neji moved in to attack even further, dealing her more strikes to her torso until she finally succumbed to its effects.

"Hinata Hyuga is unable to continue on with this match. The winner in Neji Hyuga!" said Hayate as he called the match. Neji watched his cousin with a concerned look on his face as she was tended to by the medics, but Hinata simply waved him off with a small smile on her face. Taking that as a signal that she would be fine, Neji nodded his head before walking toward the stairs as Hinata was taken out the room.

"Hmm, most of the matches are complete, and if my calculations are correct, there should be six left still to fight," said Temari as she brought a hand to her hip. "There's Gaara, the brunette from Princess Shizuka's team, the last Grass genin, the Sound genin that looks like a walking mummy, the chubby one next to the Nara kid, and the bushy-browed Leaf genin wearing the really out there green jumpsuit. . . Gaara, who do you think you're facing?"

"Considering that all the matches are randomized, I have no idea. You're guess is as good as mine," answered the redhead as he turned his attention to the screen. It was already choosing the names for the next match. When the randomizer finally stopped, Shukaku let out a yell of pure relief when he saw that Gaara was finally chosen. "So, I'm finally picked . . . But who the hell is this Rock Lee?"

"Uhm, I think it's the guy in the jumpsuit."

At his brother's words, Gaara followed Kankuro's gaze to see the boy in green getting some kind of pep talk across the room. They were loud enough that Gaara could make out a few of the words they were saying, and half of them were the same word: youth.

 _We've been sitting on our asses for so long now, and we get paired against the kid with the bowl cut. He doesn't look like a challenge!_

" _I wouldn't be so quick to go to that conclusion Shukaku,"_ Gaara advised as he brought two of his fingers up to his face. _"Something tells me that this Rock Lee is much tougher than you think."_

 **Please review!**


	10. Taking Control

Chapter 10: Taking Control

 _Much tougher than I think . . . You got to be fucking kidding me, you redheaded fleshbag!_

Instead of launching into a full-blown, headache-inducing yell, Shukaku said his words in a quiet, measured tone as Gaara's sand started to swirl around his body. The prince chose to ignore him as the sand circled the redhead in light wisps before thickening into a swirling, almost violent cloud, transporting him from his elevated perch to the battlefield below. When his feet touched solid ground, the sand cloud dissipated as fast as it appeared, barely leaving a trace.

A quick glance up at the railing told him that his little 'trick' left quite an impression on the competition.

 _Now what are they looking at?_ Shukaku mumbled in a slightly teasing tone as he watched the observers through his vessel's eyes. _They're all acting as if they've never seen a swirling cloud of sand transport a human before._

" _I doubt they have . . . If they haven't realized what I can possibly do, they have realized it now."_ Gaara simply replied as he spotted the Fire Princess leaning against the railing from the corner of his eye, a look of interest apparent on her serene face.

 _I see someone can't keep his eyes off a certain somebody!_

" _Quiet you damn tanuki!"_ Gaara growled in his mind, irritated by the beast's sing-song tone as he waited for his opponent to come down from the the walkway. The jumpsuit-wearing Leaf genin threw himself over the railing with gusto, landing on the ground in a crouch before jumping up to his full height. _"There's something about him, something off . . . I can't seem to put my finger on it."_

 _As if his appearance wasn't enough . . ._ Shukaku grumbled as Lee stood a few feet away from him. _Just beat this guy and you're through to the next round. He doesn't seem like he'll last long in this fight to begin with._

" _He may appear like he doesn't seem like much to you, but I believe it is for the best that I not follow your line of thinking for this particular match. I hope you understand."_

 _Don't get catty with me Gaara . . . I get enough of that from my sister Matatabi._

"Begin!"

As soon as the proctor gave the word, Lee ran toward Gaara, but the redhead was not bothering to move a muscle to counter the incoming attack, staying perfectly still with his arms crossed against his chest. Lee leaped into the air with a yell, swinging his leg around to strike Gaara in the side of his head. Unfortunately, the sand wouldn't allow it to happen, shooting out of its gourd to form a wall between Lee's foot and the prince's head.

Lee was quick to back away when his attack failed, but the sand wouldn't let him go that easy. It gathered up into one large mass before launching forward, but the bowl cut wearing ninja leapt out of harm's way. Rather than go for him again, Gaara recalled his sand back into the gourd, his face void of emotion as he stared his opponent down.

" _He has decent reflexes. I'll give him that."_ he thought to himself as the crowd above them murmured and whispered amongst themselves.

 _He's still going to get crushed regardless._ Shukaku mumbled as he added his two cents. _. . . He won't get through the absolute defense._

After taking a deep breath and regathering his bearings, Lee launched himself forward for another offensive attack. He tried to get to the youngest Sand Sibling via punches and kicks, but every time he tried to land a hit, the sand met him blow-for-blow. When the sand started to go on the offensive, Lee used a kunai to cut through the attacks, but as soon as the sand grew to a denser, larger size, he was forced to dodge rather than defend.

 _Hmm, looks like we got ourselves a wily one here fleshbag . . . Maybe he'll actually prove to be a challenge. Then again . . ._ Shukaku mumbled as the sand finally caught Lee, grabbing his leg before swinging him into the wall. . . _He may just be like all the others._

For his part, Lee did not give up on his strategy. When he saw Gaara's sand coming his way, he quickly dodged it before it could slam him into the wall, letting it splatter along the surface on impact.

 _What is up with this kid?_ Shukaku mumbled as he watched Lee launch himself forward yet again. _This kid is a tenacious and determined brat. I'll give him that . . . However, all he has used against you is taijutsu and kunai. What happened to his ninjutsu and genjutsu? Doesn't he know a basic water ninjutsu or something?_

" _Hmm, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him use any genjutsu or ninjutsu since this exam started. He is really reliant on his taijutsu,"_ said Gaara, his voice sounding agreeable as he watched Lee try to find an opening through his absolute defense. _"Or maybe . . ."_

 _Or maybe what fleshbag?_

" _Maybe he has no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu whatsoever. He's just not capable of it."_ Gaara answered in a flat tone as Lee dodged his sand once more, flipping into the air before landing on top of the statue. _"If he had any skill in those areas, he would have used it by now. We're too far into his match for him to still trying to gauge my skills. . . At this point, I don't expect him to use either in this fight."_

 _If all he has is taijutsu, then this match is all over for him. With his over reliance on taijutsu, he's basically a short-range fighter who'll have to approach you in order to land a hit. He'd be walking into his own defeat._

"ALRIGHT LEE, TAKE THEM OFF!"

 _What the hell? Who yelled that?_

" _I believe it was my opponent's sensei. You know, the one who looks like an older version of him."_ Gaara calmly replied as he kept his eyes on Lee. He watched as the Leaf genin sat down and pulled off the orange leg warmers he wore around his shins, revealing the set of leg weights underneath. Pulling them off, he stood up with a leg weight in each hand and a relieved look on his face.

"Ah, now that I got these weights off, I can move a lot more freely." said Lee, his tone bordering on gleeful as he let the weights fall from his hands.

 _Oh come on! Does he really think that dropping some weights will give him a better chance in winning this bout . . . This boy must be crazy . . ._

. . . And then the weights hit the ground . . .

 _WELL DAMN!_ Shukaku exclaimed as the weights imploded the ground as soon as they landed, sending large plumes of dust and debris flying high in the air. Lee soon used a shunshin to disappear, making Gaara visibly react for the first time this match, his eyes looking around to see where the green ninja went. Lee soon reappeared, aiming his fist right at Gaara's blind spot, but his sand protected him just in time before the hit could land, the reaction time slower than usual.

" _His fist almost got through the absolute defense,"_ Gaara said in slight shock as Lee reappeared behind him, this time going for a kick to the head. He was blocked once again, but disappeared before the sand could grab him.

Lee continued this tactic as time went on, going in and out of view, striking holes through Gaara's sand until he finally found an opening. Eventually he did, reappearing right in front of the redheaded prince to nail him with an axe kick right to the top of his head, shocking everyone watching in the room, his siblings and sensei especially.

 _Did he just . . . Did he just actually HIT YOU?!_ Shukaku yelled as Lee slid away from Gaara, a smirk now on face. The redhead grimaced as he felt the kick's after effects, his right cheek stinging in pain. _You better make that bastard pay!_

" _I'm working on it."_ Gaara replied as Lee charged forward. The prince swung his arm, the sand moving with the movement, but Lee moved before it could connect. It wasn't long before he connected for his second hit, nailing Gaara right in his left cheek. The hit sent him sprawling to the ground, and Shukaku into another speech.

 _Well, well, isn't this just getting more and more interesting. I've never seen anyone with speed such as his before, and he's actually managed to land a couple of good hits on you. Sheesh, he's forced you to implement the armor for crying out loud._ The tanuki spoke in a reluctant tone, mostly unwilling to admit how good of an opponent Lee was becoming in his eyes. _He's giving you a run for your money. Huh, he may actually be the first one in a long time to force my hand. . ._

" _Don't you dare think about it Shukaku!"_ Gaara mentally berated the beast as he felt his sand armor crack off his skin. With a quick command, the sand that had spilled off of him and out of his gourd came back to him, encasing him in full once again. _"I can handle this match without your assistance."_

 _Part of me thinks you may need it, and part of me thinks you're just trying to save face in front of the others. . . Maybe you want to impress a certain blonde haired princess._

" _As if I want to impress Temari at the moment."_

 _You know what I mean fleshbag!_

Gaara ignored his mental roommate as he watched Lee unwind some of the bandaging around his wrists. With no hesitation, the Leaf genin started running around Gaara in a large circle before striking him with a kick to the chin that sent him up into the air. When he realized that the prince wasn't going to stay in the air with one kick, Lee continued his assault, kicking Gaara further and further into the air until they were close to the ceiling. Gaara could barely defend himself as his sand struggled to catch up to him, but his eyes widened just a tad when he noticed Lee close his eyes and wince in pain.

Before he realized what was going on, the bandages Lee had previous unwound from his wrists wrapped around the prince, trapping him in a tight hold. Lee grabbed hold of the redhead and pivoted him downward, rapidly spinning both him and himself as they plummeted to the ground. The impact was great as a large plume of dust and debris rose into the air, along with Lee, who was unscathed as he landed a few feet away from the carnage he caused.

As for Gaara, his body was at the bottom of the crater made by Lee's Primary Lotus, his body cracked all over as he lay there still and incapacitated, his face the textbook definition of shock.

Well, that was what everyone was led to believe . . .

 _Okay, now I definitely need to take charge, cause I'm not going to just sit back and let you get your ass handed to you in this fight any longer. I live here too you know!_

" _I'll admit it. I have underestimated my opponent. No man has ever gotten past my sand like he has before,"_ Gaara admitted as he felt the sand that made up his sand shell starts to break apart, thus ending his momentary ruse. _"Still, just because Lee has the upper hand at the moment doesn't mean I'll let you take over!"_

 _We'll see about that!_

" _What? WAIT SHU-"_

Before Gaara could even finish his statement, he felt Shukaku's presence grow in his mind, his consciousness slowly slipping under the tanuki's influence. Despite staying relatively in control, he felt like he was starting to lose himself, and could only watch as Shukaku started to take more of a front row seat, like a puppeteer preparing to man the strings.

The change was noticeable on the outside just as it was going on in the inside, and it was a change his siblings and sensei couldn't ignore, no matter how much they wanted to.

"This isn't good . . ." Kankuro mumbled, his tone nervous as he and his team watched the scene unfold.

"It looks like Shukaku is starting to take control," Temari added as she looked on with a tense expression on her face. "When that look appears on Gaara's face, it's never good for anyone involved."

"If his opponent was wise enough, he would forfeit this match right now," Baki mumbled as he looked at Lee. "Just look at him now. He's barely moving. . . At this point, I doubt Gaara sees him as an opponent at all. He sees him as just another "toy" to play with before he throws it away."

With a sinister grin on his face and his hands folded into a position that mirrored the statue's own, Gaara sent his sand shooting out in multiple directions before having them converge on Lee. The onslaught sent the jumpsuit-wearing ninja into the air before smashing him into the wall. The attacks sent sand and dust flying everywhere, covering the battlefield in a thick beige cloud that didn't seem to have an end in sight.

"This isn't just a battle anymore." Nanami mumbled as she took out a blue handkerchief from her pouch, using it to cover her mouth as the dust around the room continued to swirl about. "It's practically a one-person massacre if things continue on like this."

"Prince Gaara doesn't even look like he's in his right mind right now," added Haruka as she leaned against the railing. "I'm so glad that I didn't have to face him."

"It's a good thing you weren't," said their sensei as she leaned against the wall behind her. "Your skills revolve around taijutsu, just like Lee, and even though you do know some ninjutsu, it wouldn't be enough to face Gaara. Not by a long shot."

"Thanks Master Ishida, your vote of confidence has brought my spirits up real high." said Haruka, her tone sounding slightly dismal.

Her sensei could only smile at the remark.

"Anyway, you've been silent since before this match even started Shizuka. Care to speak your mind to the rest of us?"

 _Your sensei is right, young one. You've been very quiet so far._

The voice of her inner beast reverberated throughout her mind in a tone that was almost hypnotic, but the words she spoke were something that Shizuka couldn't really dispute. The blonde-haired princess looked at her sensei before turning her eyes back to the battlefield, just as it was clearing up. To everyone's surprise, Lee was still standing, his arms stretched out right in front of him as a large crater decorated the wall behind him.

"I highly doubt that Lee can pull off a victory, but considering his sensei is Master Guy, he may still have a few tricks up his sleeves." she finally said for an answer, her eyes moving along with Lee as he continued to dodge the sand.

"But what can he still possibly do?" grumbled Haruka as she turned to the blonde, her slightly feline-like face now looking quite agitated as Gaara continued to toy with Lee, her green eyes narrowing into slits. "As you can see, pulling off the Primary Lotus hurt Lee more than the panda-eyed prince himself. He can barely move!"

"Now, now Haruka. Shizuka has a point," said their sensei as she stepped over to the railing, her blue hair swaying gently as she walked. "If my suspicions are correct, Guy may have taught Lee a move that could win him this match. The question now is whether or not he's willing to make the sacrifice needed in order to use it."

"Sacrifice? What kind of sacrifice?" Haruka couldn't help but blurt out as Lee started popping in and out of view once again. "And wait, he can still move that fast?"

"But somehow he has the audacity to be a little smug," said Nanami as she uncovered her mouth. "Just look at him. He's even smiling. He must have something good planned if he's going to go as far to smile in the face of almost certain defeat."

" _For Lee's sake, I hope Nanami is right."_

 _I doubt it._

" _Way to give Lil Bushy Brows a vote of confidence Ryuna,"_ Shizuka quick retorted as she crossed her arms over her chest, using her brother's nickname for Lee in the process. Ryuna simply chuckled at her vessel's response. _"Don't laugh."_

 _Sorry, I can't help myself . . . Still, when you've lived in this world for as long as I have, you start to notice who wins and who loses much more easily. Your fellow countryman may indeed have a trump card in his pocket, but it most likely won't do him any good against the young prince, especially if my brother has indeed started to take him over._

" _Shukaku hasn't fully taken over him yet, or else we all would be buried under a wave of sand by now."_ Shizuka was quick to say as Lee finally stayed still for the first time in a long while. He bowed his head and crossed his arms, most likely to prep his next move. _"Gaara still has control. The question now is how long can he actually maintain it."_

 _Not long if Lee continues with what I think he's about to do. Just look at him._

"What the hell is going on now?" Haruka mumbled as everyone in the room watched Lee's skin tone change from its usual color. "Is, is it just me, or is he actually turning red?"

"He's opening more of his Eight Inner Gates." said Akame as she looked on in disbelief. "I've only seen this kind of skill used only once before, but I can recognize the signs easily . . . It's a high risk maneuver, one that has easily ended the careers of those that have used it in the past. The longer Lee uses this move, the more damage he puts on his body, so if he's going to win this match, he has to end this quickly."

"But what does opening more of the Eight Inner Gates do for him?" Nanami couldn't help but ask as Lee got redder by the second.

"Just watch."

At a blistering speed, Lee attacked, breaking the floor in his wake as he landed a kick to Gaara's chin, sending him high into the air. He then proceeded to pummel him, landing blow after blow as he launched the prince back and forth throughout the air. And unfortunately for Gaara, his sand shield was rendered useless, as Lee was too fast for it to stop his onslaught.

Before long, Lee had grabbed the fabric that helped hold Gaara's gourd to his back. Pulling back the fabric like a yoyo, Lee slammed his fist into Gaara's midsection, sending the redhead into the ground in a cloud of sand, dust, and debris. On the other hand, the punishment Lee put his body through started to rear its head, as he was too tired to right himself for the incoming landing, crashing to the ground instead.

"Lee looks absolutely done," said Nanami as she gazed below. "He's done all he could, hasn't he?"

"Possibly," said Akame, her face looking slightly unsure. "However, the prince may not be done just yet."

"You're right sensei," Shizuka mumbled as she watched the scene with keen interest. "I don't believe Gaara's finished in this match."

"How can you be so sure Shizuka?" Haruka grumbled as she turned to her.

"It's just a feeling I have," said the princess, a small smirk now displayed on her face. Haruka's frown only deepened in response. "Haruka, why are you frowning?"

"Because whenever you go by one of those "feelings" you sometimes have, they're usually right." she answered glumly as the dust started to settle.

"You were pulling for Lee weren't you Haruka?" said their sensei as they finally spotted the redhead. Gaara was lying in a crater, cushioned by the large amount of sand underneath him, his gourd now non-existent as he stared Lee down with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"I was, for a moment. He really had me rooting for him for a good second," said the brunette as she watched Gaara hold out his hand toward Lee, the sand moving with the motion. "But now, it's all over for him."

"Well, it was fun to watch while it lasted," added Nanami as the sand struck, grabbing Lee's left arm and left leg in a stranglehold. The ear-splitting yell that erupted from Lee's mouth as the sand crushed the appendages chilled half the crowd to the core of their bones. "Ooh . . . That had to hurt."

 _Now then, why don't we just kill this green fleshbag and be done with him shall we?_

" _Shukaku, don't do this!"_ Gaara exclaimed as he watched the sand rush toward Lee, following Shukaku's command and not his own. Lee ended up disappearing in the wave of sand, but it was quickly batted away by his sensei, who stood before his pupil with his arm outstretched and a stoic look across his face.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Might Guy with not a hint of emotion in his tone.

 _WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS INTERRUPTING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF MY KILLING?_

" _I believe he is someone who simply wants to protect his student Shukaku."_ Gaara grumbled as he slowly got back to his feet as his sand armor started to reform itself, having already protected him from the most grievous of injuries that Lee could have dealt him. _"Now then, I'm going to take control of my body back now."_

 _Oh no you d-_ That was all Shukaku could get out before Gaara completely tuned him out. Once he was back on his feet and his armor was perfectly fine, he looked toward Guy, who was trying to stop Lee from continuing the fight, despite his injuries. Realizing that Lee was too injured, the proctor gave the match win to the redhead, who had already transported himself back to the railing where the rest of the team nervously awaited him.

"Congratulations on your win Gaara," Temari was the first to say. "That was quite a match to say the least."

"It was, however, I wish Shukaku hadn't jumped into the match when he did." the redhead quietly admitted as Lee collapsed into his sensei's arms, just as the medical staff approached him.

"Regardless of that, you got control back and won. It wasn't pretty, but a win's a win." said Kankuro as Lee was carried out the room. "All you can do now is look toward the next challenge."

" _Yeah_. . ." Gaara thought. " _But who knows when Shukaku will try to take control again."_

 _You know I'll take control of you again. It's only a matter of time._

" _. . . And that's what I'm worried about."_

 **A/N: I figured I give Shizuka and her team some dialogue in this chapter. Anyway, please review!**


	11. End of Preliminaries

**A/N: This is a shorter chapter than usual, mainly since I wanted to get the preliminaries out of the way. Starting next chapter, things will start getting a little more personal for out Sand Siblings. Enjoy.**

Chapter 11: End of Preliminaries

"I must admit, what we witnessed just now between Lee and Gaara was one of the most impressive matches that I've ever seen in my history as a jounin sensei," said Ishida as she turned to her students. "Unfortunately, this battle could have costed Lee his career as a ninja."

"Wait, what do you mean by that Ishida-sensei?"

"Isn't it obvious Haruka?" Nanami mumbled as she watched a couple of Leaf jonin initiate a jutsu meant to even out the ground. "Opening a bunch of your Inner Gates in such a brief time span is considered a forbidden technique for a reason. . . It puts too much strain on the body, usually causing more harm than good to the user unless they're experts with the technique."

"Nanami is right Haruka," said Ishida as she too watched what was going on below. "Lee is not a jounin taijutsu master. If he was, he wouldn't be in this exam in the first place. . . He is still a genin learning the ropes on what it means to be a ninja while perfecting his trade. Prince Gaara pushed him to a limit that he still wasn't ready to handle yet, and now his body is paying the price for it."

"There is still a chance he could make a full recovery," Shizuka mumbled as she looked up at her sensei. ". . . Isn't there?"

"There is. It'll take a while, but Lee will make a full recovery from his injuries," said Ishida as her eyes found the Sand team across the room. "However, only time will tell if he will be able to physically function the same way he did before his match started."

Shizuka followed her sensei's gaze until her blue eyes landed on the redhead. Instead of looking at her or her team, he was paying attention to the ground, looking lost in thought.

" _Ryuna, do you think Gaara feels a little guilty for what he did to Lee?"_

 _I believe he feels guilty for letting Shukaku have even a smidgen of control more than anything else._ The dragon demon calmly replied as the monitor started to shuffle through the names once again. _He came into the match knowing he had to beat Lee to move to the next round. He doesn't regret winning. It would be wrong to assume otherwise. . . He most likely regrets the way he won though, but that's just my guess._

In the meantime, Gaara was currently engrossed in his own thoughts, momentarily tuning out Shukaku's grumbling as he thought over what just happened in his match.

" _I possibly just ended another ninja's career, all because I couldn't maintain full control,"_ the redhead thought to himself as he looked at the ground. The craters that appeared during his battle were now filled up, but there were still telltale signs of the multiple battles that occurred so far all around the ground. _"Shukaku, you just had to fucking interfere . . ."_

" _If I hadn't interfered, you would have lost and been stuck with Baki in the stands, watching as your siblings represented your kingdom while you wallowed in self-imposed disappointment!"_ cried the tanuki as the monitor settled on the next two names. _"That Lee kid would have beaten you clean if it wasn't for me. . . You're lucky. Trust me, if it weren't for this seal keeping me at bay, I would have done a whole lot worse."_

"Haruka Nekonome and Akio Sakamoto, please make your way down for your match!"

" _You would have done a lot worse, but you still would have been stopped in the end,"_ Gaara said in return as the brunette from Princess Shizuka's team and the last Grass genin both swung themselves over the railing, dropping down to the ground with soft thuds. _"Remember, we're in the kingdom that's home to your two most powerful siblings. Siblings who were sealed away in their very own jinchurikis. If the Fire shinobi can seal away the Nine and Ten Tails, then they are just as capable of sealing you away if need be."_

 _And there you go again, ruining my fun flesh bag._ Shukaku mumbled as the redhead started paying more attention to the battle instead of him. As soon as Proctor Gekko signaled for the match to begin, Sakamoto launched himself forward to punch Haruka in the face, but the Leaf kunoichi saw the move coming and dodged accordingly. She bent herself backward, becoming almost vertical with Sakamoto's arm before rolling out of the way and nailing him in the back with a forceful kick.

The kick sent her opponent sprawling to the ground, and before he could get back to his feet, Haruka flipped over him and nailed him with another kick, this time to the skull.

"One thing's for sure. That girl is definitely agile." Kankuro mumbled as he watched the Grass genin get back up to his feet.

"Agility has always been the Nekenome Clan's strong suit," Baki explained. "It comes with their long-standing partnership with the ninja cats."

"Like the Inuzuka Clan and their ninja hounds?" asked Temari as she watched Haruka's nails elongate into sharp claws that were half a foot long. Her face also became more feline in appearance, giving her a more feral look.

"Exactly," said the turban-wearing jounin as they watched Haruka release an onslaught of slashes and kicks. Her opponent tried to fight back, but it was quickly proving futile. "Actually, the Nekonome Clan have been centuries-old rivals with the Inuzukas. However, once they're side-by-side on the battlefield, they're quite the fearsome fighting force."

By the time Haruka was done, her opponent was lying on the ground unconscious, a mess of bruises and slash marks. Besides a few scratches and bruises along her arms, the kunoichi was fine.

"Winner by knockout: Haruka Nekonome!" called Gekko as Haruka made her way back to the stairs. "For our final match, Dosu Kinuta, Choji Akimichi, please make your way down!"

"So it's almost over now," mumbled Kankuro as he watched as the two that were called made their way down. "Once the fat kid and the mummy are done with their match, we'll finally move on to the third round."

"We probably won't have to wait long either," added Temari as she watched the two. "The Akimichi doesn't look like much, but he could surprise us with his clan's body expansion techniques. As for the Sound mummy, well, if he's like his teammates, it'll involve something sound-based I bet . . ."

The match ended up being one of the shortest ones of the day, with the Sound ninja taking the win after using a sound jutsu to stop Choji while he was still in the middle of one of his body expansion techniques. The Akimichi heir appeared to have had an advantage in the early goings of the match, but once he put himself in a disadvantage by getting stuck in the wall, Dosu snatched up the victory. Once the match was called, the proctor called for all the winners to make their way down to the floor, just as Sasuke returned to the room with his sensei.

 _Well that last match was anticlimactic . . ._ Shukaku grumbled as Gaara followed his siblings to the staircase. _. . But at least we weeded out the men from the boys._

" _I guess you could say that,"_ Gaara grumbled in response as he looked across the room to see Princess Shizuka's team already descending the other staircase. _"There's only 12 of us left now."_

 _Which means six matches, if they continue the whole on-on-one battle route . . ._

Gaara chose that moment to leave his inner conversation as he followed his siblings down the stairs. When they reached the ground floor, he joined the line that all the fight winners formed in front of the Fire King and his jounin subordinates, waiting to hear what's next.

"Congratulations! After 13 battles, you 12 genin have proven yourselves worthy of making it to the next round," said King Minato as he took a step forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "I'm sure you are all under the impression that the third round will immediately start today, but that will not be the case."

"What do you mean by that?" Kankuro blurted out, getting a sudden feeling of self-doubt when he felt all eyes suddenly on him.

"Today marks the end of the preliminary competition. As per Showcase tradition, the finals will be held one month from today. This month of reprieve is meant to give you 12 the time to rest and recuperate, maybe even add a new jutsu to your respective arsenals if need be," the King calmly explained, not even hinting that he was annoyed by the interruption. "This month is also meant to give enough travel time to those who plan to watch you all during the final rounds, as well as make their respective bets . . . Judging from the looks of things, there is no question that at least two other monarchs will be making the trip to Konoha to see the proceedings."

 _The only ones that he could possibly be talking about is the Sound King and your father. Along with Fire, Sound and Wind are the only other kingdoms that still have a stake in this competition. . . Ready to see your old man again flesh bag?_

" _Hardly"_ was Gaara's quick response.

 _I knew you would say that._

"Before you can all leave, there is one more thing that needs to be addressed," said the King as Proctor Morino came forward with a box in hand. "You all need to pick lots to determine who you will face first in the finals. You will come up one-by-one in alphabetical order. Please, don't open the paper until I give you the go ahead . . . Genin Kinuta, you're first."

The mummy-looking Sound genin simply nodded his head before stepping forward. Once he picked his slip of paper, everyone else, starting from Prince Gaara and ending with his sister, came forward to grab slips of their own. When the redhead opened his, he looked down to see that all there was inside was a blue dot.

"Now then, each slip has one of six colored dots stamped on it. Whoever has the same colored dot as you, well, that person will be your first opponent in the finals," King Minato further explained as he locked eyes with each finalist. "Let's see, for the finals' first match, who has a red dot on their paper?"

Both Neji and Naruto's hands went up. When he saw that, the King simply nodded his head before sneaking a quick look at Proctor Morino, who was writing something down on a clipboard he somehow procured.

"For the second match, who has a blue dot?"

Gaara slowly raised his hand, and when he looked down the line, he saw that Sasuke had also raised his hand.

 _So the Uchiha will be our next opponent . . ._ Shukaku said in a tone that Gaara didn't like very much. _I can't wait till we get to spill his blood._

" _And there you go again, acting like the bloodthirsty animal you are,"_ Gaara mumbled as he tried to pay attention to the proceedings. _"You can't go one day without mentioning blood in some way."_

 _That's just the way I am . . ._ Shukaku said with a chuckle. _But still, aren't you excited? If not for the blood, then you must be excited to face an opponent from such a strong lineage as the Uchihas._

" _I haven't given it much thought. I have only just learned about the matchup after all,"_ Gaara mumbled. _"Still, it will be interesting to see which comes out on top: sand or Sharingan."_

 _If you allow me to take control, then no question, we will be the ones on top. . . Once Uchiha is beaten, if they're successful in their matches, the Fire brats that hold my siblings will be future opponents. Then again, the same could be said for your own siblings . . . I hope you don't plan to take it easy on them._

" _They may be my family, but that doesn't mean I plan to make things easy for them, or let you have any fun for that matter."_ Gaara argued. _"So don't even get any bright ideas. You've already done enough damage for one tournament."_

 _Again, I helped you win!_

Eventually, the King finished asking his questions and stepped back just as Proctor Morino took a step forward. When he flipped his clipboard around, everyone had an idea on how the finals would go.

Naruto Namikaze vs Neji Hyuga

Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha

Kankuro vs Haruka Nekonome

Shino Aburame vs Nanami Otoribashi

Dosu Kinuta vs Shizuka Namikaze

Temari vs Shikamaru Nara

"There you have it. The first round of the finals has officially been established," said the King. "You can use the upcoming month any way you see fit, but if I were you, I would use the time I've been given very wisely . . . Good luck. You're all dismissed."

Before anyone else could say anything, King Minato used his signature Hiraishin technique to disappear from the room, leaving without a trace.

"Ok, that was impressive," mumbled Kankuro as he looked at his two siblings. "So, that's it huh?"

"Yep, that's it," said Temari as people started leaving the room. "We now have a full month to prepare for the finals. I get to face the lazy kid, you go against the girl with claws, and Gaara gets to fight the moody Uchiha . . . This should be fun."

"It may be fun, but remember, you have both the kingdom's reputation, as well as your own reputations as royals, to uphold," Baki quickly advised as he appeared beside his charges. "But preparations can start tomorrow. For the rest of the day, you'll rest."

"Fair enough . . ." said Temari as she followed the man to the exit. Kankuro quickly followed them, leaving Gaara to bring up the rear. Before he followed the rest of his team, he snuck one last look at Princess Shizuka's and Prince Naruto's teams before leaving, both teams lingering before making the move to leave.

" _With the kind of people still left in this competition, this year's finals should be quite the interesting one."_

 **Please review!**


	12. Morning Talk

Chapter 12: Morning Talk

 _ **The next morning**_

Gaara quietly sat on the hotel roof, watching the sun rise to usher in another day. He had spent the night doing his usual routine, watching the moon with his arms crossed over his chest, his mind deep in thought as he went through the events of the day prior. Usually Shukaku would try his best to annoy the hell out of him during his reminiscing, but he had been relatively quiet so far, leaving the redhead to his thoughts.

 _Daybreak's coming brat. Knowing your sensei, he'll want to start talking to you and your siblings about the final round as soon as you sit down to eat breakfast._

" _I know Shukaku, and I'm not looking forward to it, mainly because he apparently has a way of speaking that can you bore you to death if you let him speak too long. Kankuro's opinion, not mine,"_ the prince mumbled as he slowly stood up. _"But that's just the kind of mentor Baki is: no nonsense, all business, and as annoyingly formal as you can get."_

 _And your father?_ The tanuki asked as his vessel dusted off his pants. _How would you describe him as a mentor?_

" _Coarse, unforgiving, and unrelenting, like the desert we were born in,"_ was Gaara's quick reply as he re-crossed his arms. _"Why are you even asking me this Shukaku? You've been sealed inside me throughout my entire life, before I was even born. You've seen what my father is like through my eyes; what he has put me through throughout my life . . ."_

 _It's true. I have witnessed what your father is like, especially when he puts in the effort to train you, but I didn't know what your true opinions on his methods were until now. I may be sealed in your body, but I'm not completely privy to your thoughts . . . What you just said is probably a fair assessment of him, by my estimate, at least._

The redhead simply nodded as he looked up at the sky, his thoughts going back to the times when his father took the time out of his busy schedule to oversee his training. It was a long-standing tradition for the older generation to pass its skills and teachings to the next one, and royal families weren't excluded from this trend. However, it was more difficult to uphold in royal households due to the Kings and Queens' various duties.

King Rasa was no exception. For the better part of his adult life, the man has had to juggle his duties as a ruling monarch with his duties as a father, and unfortunately, his royal duties usually won out, much to his kids' chagrin. He always struggled to make any time for his children, and it had only gotten worse with the Wind Kingdom's problems piling up in recent months.

For most of their lives, the Sand Siblings were raised by wet nurses and tutors. The King did receive updates on their progress through them though, but truthfully, he only really spent time with his children during some of the training sessions, official royal events, and the occasional family dinner, and even during those moments, he was either stubborn, standoffish, cold, or even a bit unwelcoming to them.

Gaara usually experienced the last three almost every day.

 _Your father is no 'Father of the Year' candidate by any means. Then again, he may have been an entirely different person before you were born._ Shukaku couldn't help but add as Gaara walked toward the entrance. _H_ _ave you ever wondered what the bastard was like before you came into this world? You have never asked anyone about that. . . I bet you're curious about it._

" _Maybe, but what's the point?"_ Gaara was quick to ask in return. _"I could ask Temari and Kankuro about it, but they were very young at the time, so their memories will be foggy at best if you try to ask them about it, and I'm not planning to ask the palace staff either."_

 _Why not?_

" _I make them uncomfortable enough as it is, mainly because I have you sealed inside me. . . If you remember, I wasn't the most well-behaved child growing up, with some of it not being my fault,"_ said Gaara, his comment earning him a quick growl from the tanuki. _"The staff would be more worried about not offending me than actually giving me a truthful answer."_

 _Ok, you make a good point._

Gaara simply ignored the tailed beast as he made his way back to the suite. When he finally arrived, he found his siblings standing by the dining room table, watching as a member of the hotel staff set out their breakfast, a mixture of traditional delicacies and Western cuisine. They were still dressed in their sleepwear, both looking quite disheveled as they watched the young man work. As for Baki, he was out on the porch, looking out at the village with his arms crossed behind his back.

"How long has he been out there?" Gaara asked as he watched their sensei.

"For a while now I think," mumbled Temari as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "I woke up just as he finished calling for room service. He's been out there ever since."

"Knowing him, he's probably thinking about what he will say during breakfast," added Kankuro as he tipped the worker before he made his exit. "I expect something along the lines of what we should expect and prepare for come the finals."

"Knowing him, that's the most likely answer," said Temari as she walked over to the open doorway. "Baki-sensei, breakfast is ready!"

She walked away from the door and made her way over to the dining room table, where her brothers were already seated, waiting for them. Baki joined them seconds later, his face stoic as he took his seat across from the Crown Princess. He didn't start speaking till everyone had food on their respective plates.

"If memory serves me right, the organizers send letters reporting on the preliminary proceedings to all the kingdoms, even to the ones that weren't involved," Baki mumbled as he picked up his fork. "You should expect a message from your father in the coming days."

"And there you go dampening my appetite," Temari grumbled under her breath as she brought a piece of bacon to her lips. "Knowing father, he'll probably write us some half-hearted congratulations before launching into why it's crucial for us to do well in the final rounds, again."

"Don't forget the part where he mentions that he's coming to see the finals." Kankuro mumbled, his attention more on his food than on the conversation. "I can just imagine it now: Him sitting with the other kings in attendance, watching us with that stoic expression of his on his face. Oh, he'll make small talk with the other guys in the booth - got to be a cordial king of course, keep appearances up and all that stuff - but overall, expect him to act more like an Ice King than a Wind King."

"Enough with that. Yes, I understand that you all have your issues with your father, and yes, your father doesn't help the situation with the way he acts toward you three, at times," said Baki, his words coming as a bit of a shock to the three siblings. For as long as they could remember, Baki had been a reliable supporter of the king, never speaking an ill word about him.

This was as close to a negative remark that they had ever heard him speak, in _years_.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Things haven't been going too well for the kingdom these past few months, and it's not just from the lack of profit we're seeing from the shinobi division. The dry season has been especially brutal this year, plus the nobility have been a bit _restless_ _and relentless_ these days. . . The situation has made your father a lot more stressed than normal, and you all know how stress isn't a good thing for his mood."

"Oh, we definitely know about that. Sometimes we think that if the heat of battle or an assassin won't do him in, then stress will." said Kankuro as he took a sip of his orange juice. "The man doesn't know how to take a break, or sleep for that matter."

"It's only a matter of time before he develops insomnia rings that are even bigger than Gaara's." Temari added as she shot a smirk the redhead's way.

"I highly doubt that's possible . . ." Gaara mumbled as he dipped his spoon into his bowl of miso soup.

"I doubt it as well. Now all of you, get back to eating. After breakfast, I want you to meet me in the living room. It's time we started to discuss your future competition."

The three siblings simply nodded their heads before turning their attention back to their food. Twenty-five minutes passed before all four Wind natives had finished their morning meal. While Baki moved to leave all the empty plates out in the hallway, Temari and Kankuro went to get ready while Gaara quickly brushed his teeth. The three siblings found Baki waiting patiently for them, seated in one of the leather armchairs. Temari quickly claimed the other one, leaving her brothers to take the couch.

"Ok Baki, where do we start first?" Temari asked as she watched the older man lean back in his seat.

"We'll start with your immediate competition." the older man calmly stated as he crossed his arms. "I want to hear your opinions and observations. What do you make of them?"

"All I know for sure is that that Haruka girl will be trouble for me if her claws get anywhere near my chakra strings." Kankuro mumbled as he rolled his head back.

"You're worried about her cutting your _chakra strings_?" Temari asked as she looked at her brother with disbelieving eyes. "You have a lot more to worry about than just your chakra strings brother. Her performance in her preliminary fight shows that not only is she very agile, but she has quite an understanding of taijutsu as well. Her agility is not a good match against your puppets' projectiles, and you wouldn't be able to protect yourself if she manages to take your puppets out of the equation. Your hand-to-hand combat skills don't match up with hers."

"Your sister is correct on all fronts Kankuro." said Baki, stopping the puppeteer before he could launch into a quick retort. "As you are now, you would have quite the struggle in your battle against Haruka Nekonome. Puppeteers like you use poison, a fact so well-known that it's obvious to everyone including non-shinobi. She'll expect you to use poison in the fight, and she'll prepare for that accordingly, knowing she'll have to dodge a lot of your attacks before she can get to you . . . I suggest you start brushing up on your taijutsu, because you're definitely going to need it."

"I, I figured as much," the puppeteer mumbled as he looked up at the ceiling, conceding to their points.

"Now then, on to your opponent Temari," said Baki as he turned to the Crown Princess. "What do you make of Shikamaru Nara?"

"He's not the biggest threat in the finals, if you look at him from a purely physical perspective," said Temari as she brought a hand to her chin. "He's dangerous because of his mind. He's most likely the strategist of his team, and I wouldn't doubt that he already has a couple of plans ready for when he finally faces me, no matter how lazy he appears."

"You must also be wary of his shadow ninjutsu," Baki added. "With that technique of his, you must always stay aware of the ground. One wrong move, and you'll eventually become his puppet. . . Now then, Gaara, it's your turn. Your thoughts on Sasuke?"

"He wasn't at his best yesterday." said the redhead after taking a moment to think about it. "He was holding back, and I think it has something to do with why he was clutching the right side of his neck so much before the preliminaries began."

"I think you're right Gaara." Temari mumbled. "The Uchiha didn't take any noticeable physical damage during his fight, but his sensei was quick to take him away for medical treatment."

"Does it matter? He'll be all healed up by the time the finals roll around anyway." said Kankuro as he did a small shrug. "And even then, I don't know what kind of strategy he'll use to fight you with little bro. He wasn't present for any of the other battles; he only appeared once all the battles were done."

"He may not have seen Gaara fight, but the rest of his team certainly did. He could always ask them for info." Temari stated matter-of-factly. "Gaara's match was an eye-opener for me. The sand is an ultimate defense. It has served that purpose so well for so long that you can't really doubt it . . . I always thought the only possible way you could beat it was if you had a very powerful water affinity. However, that Lee guy proved me wrong. Your shield does have a second weakness."

"It's not fast enough to protect me from high speed attacks." was Gaara's blunt reply as Shukaku started mumbling about his "weak" shield in his head. "This was the first time I ever faced an opponent who actually had a counter for my sand. It was . . . shocking."

"Shocking?" Kankuro asked with an eyebrow raised. "No kidding. I've never seen you looked shocked in battle before till those weights dropped, and damn, they _dropped_."

"Unless Sasuke increases his speed exponentially this next month, I don't see him beating Gaara using that strategy." said Baki.

"Then again, he may not even need his speed," said Temari as she did a small shrug. "He may not have enough time to boost his speed, but it is possible that he could learn a jutsu that could pierce through Gaara's armor."

 _He wouldn't have enough time to develop one. . . I think._

" _I don't know about that Shukaku."_ Gaara responded, internally unsure about the prospect. He was so used to no one being able to breech his shield or his armor, but one battle had managed to erase that thought no problem. _"We can't cross anything out."_

"Temari raises a good point," Baki mumbled. "The Uchihas are known for their Fire Style, but Fire alone isn't enough to break through the sand. The best elements for the job would be Lightning and Wind, and we don't know if the Uchiha is capable of either one."

"We didn't see much from his match," Kankuro concluded as he took out a notepad and a pencil from a scroll he had in his pocket. "All that we know about the Uchiha is basic clan info you can read about in any history scroll you come across. In terms of Sasuke specifically, we got nothing."

"In other words, I'm going into my battle practically blind." said the redhead as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That's usually how it is, isn't it? I usually don't know much about my opponent at the start of the fight anyway."

"So, we shouldn't treat it like it's so different from all the other battles you've been in before?" Temari asked with an eyebrow raised. Gaara simply shrugged, but that answer wasn't the satisfying one she was hoping for. "All I can say is just stay vigilant and make sure you don't give the Uchiha any openings. I have a feeling he'll make you pay for it if you do."

"I guess that wraps up our immediate opponents," said Kankuro as he started sketching the base of a new puppet. "Should we start talking about the others now?"

"We should," Baki said in agreement. "In the finals, you only get a break when it's not your turn to fight, and you'll only have a limited amount of time to analyze the other battles before your next one comes along. Plus, it's always beneficial for you to learn all you can about your future opponents before the time comes."

"Well, for starters, we know our fellow royals learned some of their skills from their parents, skills that may be difficult to counter," mumbled Temari as she rested her elbows along the chair's armrests. "Other than Shizuka's Dragon Gale jutsu, we don't really know much about their ninjutsu skills. Naruto's fast and Shizuka is strong, other than that, we won't find anything else out till we all meet up again."

"That Neji guy seems straightforward," said Kankuro. "He's a product of his clan. A Hyuga through and through. All you have to do is not let him get close to you to knock out your chakra points, which means long range would have to be the way to go. However, it'll definitely be hard to nail him since he could see, pretty much, all around him no problem."

"Another person you can't get too close to you is that quiet Aburame kid." mumbled Temari. "His bugs eat chakra. They will deplete you of your chakra if they reach you, and then it's game over."

"Nanami Otoribashi is definitely competent with a sword. She only needed one move to beat her opponent." Gaara added. "She's probably one of the fastest ones still competing in this final stage. However, who knows what she's truly capable of without her sword in hand."

"And then there is the lone Sound genin," said Baki. "His sonic attacks have proven to be quite troublesome. Plus, we still don't completely know the situation with his kingdom."

"He's a wild card, and I don't like wild cards. You can't really plan for them." mumbled Temari.

"No, but you can still observe them," said Baki, a small smirk appearing on his face. "For the next month, in between your training sessions, I want you to observe your competition whenever you can. If the opportunity arises, take it and use it to the fullest. Any new information you can gather can prove to be crucial. The more you know, the better you can prepare. Now, if you excuse me?"

"Now where are you going?" Temari blurted out as Baki started heading for the door.

"The Fire King has requested my presence, along with the sensei that's overseeing the Sound team, probably to go over the upcoming arrival of two certain kings." said Baki as he shook his head. "I'll be back later."

"Well, at least we don't have to deal with him for a while," Kankuro mumbled as soon as Baki was out of earshot. He was about to speak again when Gaara suddenly disappeared in a cloud of sand, cutting his thought short. "Now where's he going?"

"Probably to observe the competition, which is something we should be doing too." Temari mumbled as she got to her feet. "Let's go Kankuro. We got some people watching to do."

"Fine . . ." the puppeteer grumbled. "Let's hope we do get something out of this."

 **Please review!**


	13. A Sudden Encounter

Chapter 13: A Sudden Encounter

 _Well, that was a quick getaway, even for you . . . I never took you as someone who's eager to spy on their competition._

" _Sometimes I can be quite surprising._ _"_ Gaara mumbled, ignoring the tanuki's sarcasm as he reappeared on top of an apartment building a blocks away from his designated lodgings. The building was taller than the hotel, which gave him a better view of the surrounding landscape, including the Fire Palace standing tall in the near distance.

 _This village is larger than Suna, by a lot. It won't be easy finding the Uchiha brat within this living maze, or any of the other competitors for that matter._

" _Good point Shukaku. However, I don't think it's going to be hard finding Sasuke in this place."_

 _Really now? And how can you be so sure?_

" _His family name of course. The Uchiha Clan are as famous as they are feared, which can be both a blessing and a curse depending on the perspective. Everyone knows about them, especially the people that live in this village. It only makes sense."_

 _So, are you telling me that you're going to ask for directions, cause that's just way too funny of an idea to take seriously, especially from someone that's not as friendly as you._ Shukaku managed to get out before falling into a fit of laughter.

" _I'm a prince. That alone means that people should take me seriously."_

 _True, but back home, your people are either too intimidated or too fearful to really take you seriously in a proper way. You think you're going to get a much better result here?_

" _Considering I haven't gotten a nasty look since I first stepped foot here, I would say yes. However, I have something else in mind. I'm not going to ask for directions from the citizens."_

 _Oh really? Why not?_

" _Simple; they know I'm a prince here. They probably won't fear me as much, but they will surely stumble over themselves in trying to show me the proper respect that fits my title. . . I really have no time for that."_

 _So, we're just going to stick with simple shinobi tactics, aren't we?_

" _Pretty much,"_ Gaara mumbled as he spotted his siblings jumping along the rooftops in the opposite direction. _"They're probably heading for the noble district first."_

 _Shouldn't you be going after them? Last time I checked, the Uchiha Clan was a noble family, one of the highest ranked in this entire kingdom to be exact! It seems like a no-brainer don't you think?_

" _Again, you make a good point, but from what I've read, the Uchiha Clan is known for being a very secluded bunch. They're not as social as some of the other clans, which means they likely prefer living separately from others. . . Also, the noble district is usually home to the smaller clans anyway; the ones with the unfamiliar family crests. Bigger clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga would have their compounds somewhere else, and would have their symbols stamped on every important, noticeable spot they could find."_

 _Alright then, if I was a member of one of the largest, symbol-happy clans in this village, and I didn't want to live in the noble district, where would I live instead?_

" _Somewhere secluded that will ensure my privacy, not to mention well-guarded with vantage points that work in my clan's favor, just in case of an attack. It would also have to be a spacious area. The bigger the clan, the more room they would need."_ Gaara mumbled as he initiated his Third Eye jutsu. He sent it out to search the village, keeping it out of sight so that no civilians or shinobi would spot it and think it was a hostile enemy.

It took him almost a half hour before he found what he was looking for in the westernmost part of the village. With a barely there smirk, Gaara canceled the jutsu before disappearing in a cloud of sand.

After a few minutes of traveling, the redhead reappeared on the rooftop of an abandoned building. He walked over to its edge, looking across the street to see a white and blue wall of solid, painted granite surrounding the block. The Uchiha Clan's home was not a singular mansion, but a large compound filled with a mix of traditional and modern buildings in shades of white, black, gray, and blue. The tall, iron gate was manned by two guards, both in traditional clan robes with high collars, their stoic gazes looking straight ahead as people walked in and out of the premises. Just to the right of one of the guards was a dark blue flag with a traditional red and white fan stamped in the middle, the world-famous crest of the Uchiha Clan.

 _There's no mistaking that symbol. We're in the right place._ Shukaku mumbled as he observed the scene through Gaara's eyes. _The brat is possibly in either the main house or at his clan's personal training ground, by my estimate._

" _Sneaking into the place undetected isn't going to be easy. If any one of those Uchihas even look in the direction of my Third Eye with their Sharingan active, my cover will be blown immediately."_ Gaara mumbled. _"News of the matchups would have certainly reached all the clans by now. They could be safeguarding their little prodigy to make sure no secrets of his get out."_

 _Hmm, if that's the case, there's no doubt their guards would already be warned to look out for you just in case you do try to make an appearance . . ._ The tailed beast was quick to add as Gaara suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. _What the . . . Now who the fuck is trying to sneak up on you now?_

" _It's definitely not a ninja. No self-respecting shinobi would try a sneak attack in broad daylight, in a middle of a crowded village no less. Plus, the approach is just too nosy to be one, or a competent one at least. I would have guessed a civilian, but this is an abandoned building on the verge of demolition. No civilian should be here."_

 _Well, the noise just stopped, so whoever it is isn't moving any more, and I don't sense a spike in chakra, so whoever it is isn't planning an attack . . . Wait a minute, this chakra's familiar._

" _Yeah, I recognize it too,"_ Gaara mumbled as he slowly looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly when he saw that it was the Fire Princess herself standing a few feet away. She wasn't dressed for a fight. Instead, she was dressed in a flattering, light blue sundress that barely went past her knees. Her hair was falling freely down her back, stopping just past her waist. "What are you doing here?"

 _Real smooth fleshbag, real smooth._

"Well, I was enjoying a nice morning stroll through the village square when I spotted a very peculiar sight disappearing into an alley. It's not every day I get to see a floating eyeball moving around, so I decided to follow it . . . Should have known it would lead me to you once I spotted the bits of sand it was leaving in its wake."

 _You really should have heeded my advice and tightened your control on that jutsu._

" _Shut up Shukaku!"_ Gaara growled at the tanuki before returning his attention to his fellow royal, who simply watched him with a questioning stare.

 _Ah, look at her face. I bet she thinks you're crazy._

" _Shukaku, shut up!"_ Gaara growled again as he brought his attention back to the present. His eyes widened when he realized Shizuka was no longer standing in front of him. When he turned his head, he saw that she was now standing a couple of feet off to the side, her gaze looking down at the buildings below. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing why you decided to come to this area in the first place, and considering who you face first in the finals, I'm not surprised," she told him, a smirk lining her face as she to face him. "You're not the first person to spy on their opponent before the finals, and you'll definitely won't be the last."

"Am I really that obvious?" the words escaped the redhead's mouth before he even realized what he said.

"No; your face is like a blank slate most of the time, so it's hard to really know what you're truly thinking about."

" _Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?"_

 _I'll let you decide that for yourself._ If Gaara could see the tanuki right now, he would have scowled at him. "I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve."

"Oh, I've noticed . . . Anyway, you won't find Sasuke home. His sensei took him away for training once the preliminaries were over."

"How do you know this?"

"It's common policy when the Showcase is in progress for a sensei to alert the hosting monarch that he or she is taking one of the remaining competitors out of the village for training. It's all to make sure that all the competitors are accounted for during their stays . . . I just happened to be in the room when Kakashi-sensei came in to make his request to my father."

"How convenient . . . You wouldn't happen to know where they went, would you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said as she took a seat along the edge, crossing her legs at her ankles like a proper lady would. "I know that they are out of the village, but I don't know where exactly they went. You'll have to find out that piece of info by yourself."

"Hm, I figured as much," Gaara mumbled, his glare turning suspicious. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you telling me this, this info on Sasuke?" he asked her as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We're from different kingdoms. We're rivals in this competition."

"Everyone in this competition is a rival, regardless of kingdom affiliation. If me telling you what I know about where Sasuke went off to will give me a leg up in this competition, then so be it. Getting an advantage over your opponent is a part of ninja life. It can't be helped. Plus, Sasuke acts way too much like an emo, egotistical prick for his own good . . ."

"So, this is your way of getting back at him, hoping that my antics will eventually knock him down a peg or two." the redhead finished as he heard Shukaku chuckling.

 _Smart, slightly vindictive, and knows what she wants . . . I like her._

" _Of course, you do. . ."_ sarcasm was dripping from Gaara's voice, and he quickly got out of his head before Shukaku could offer a rebuttal. His attention went back to Shizuka, who looked like she was off in her own little world, but he knew better, especially when he knew about her "special" condition, one so much like his own. "Does your "occupant" annoy you as much as mine does?"

"At times," she told him, a little caught off guard after being interrupted from her own conversation. "She either sleeps or remain silent most of the time. I'm guessing it's not the same for you."

"Hardly; I probably got stuck with the tailed beast that talks too much." said Gaara, his words inciting a few choice words from the tanuki.

"Is that why you don't sleep? Shukaku talks to you so much it makes it impossible for you to get a proper good night's rest?"

"Not really," said the redhead, his tone becoming grim. "He's threatened to take over my body if I ever tried to sleep, so I don't."

"That sounds like Shukaku, well, from what Ryuna has said about him in the past," said the princess as her eyes widened, as if she had just realized something. "May I ask you something personal?"

"It depends on the question you're asking." said Gaara, not really saying yes, but curious enough to not say no either.

"What kind of seal is being used to keep Shukaku at bay?"

"Huh?" Gaara and Shukaku both chorused, shocked at the question that was presented to them.

"The seal makes all the difference for us jinchurikis," said Shizuka as she got back to her feet. "The best seals can safely seal away a tailed beast's power so that it won't corrupt your mind and your chakra in a negative way. Improperly done seals, or seals that just can't handle the chakra load, can lead to unintended consequences. Maybe that's the case for you . . ."

" _Is it really that possible?"_

 _Hell should I know, and if I did know, why would I ever tell you when my main goal is to be free from you?_ Shukaku grumbled, his voice becoming particularly grating. _All I know is that the Wind Kingdom has always been one of the worst when it comes to the sealing arts. You guys can handle the basic sealing techniques, but when it comes to the advanced stuff, boy you people need a lot of help._

That was all the answer Gaara would need.

"I don't know what kind of seal was used to bind Shukaku to me, and even if I showed it to you now, I wouldn't be able to explain it," Gaara stated matter-of-factly. "Regardless, it's common knowledge that an advanced seal is utilized in the process of sealing away the tailed beasts, and I have the feeling that you're not as knowledgeable in the subject as you're trying to let on."

"Guilty as charged. My parents are both sealing masters, and they've been teaching my brother and I what they know, but due to their royal duties, sometimes the lessons are few and far between," the blonde calmly stated, but the sudden downturn of her tone at the end revealed that she was less than pleased about the situation. "I better get going. I've overstayed my welcome, and I'm sure you want to get back to finding Sasuke."

Gaara remained silent as he watched her walk away, having no idea what to say as he watched her walk toward the back of the building, until he did.

"Wait!"

"Yes?" she asked, stopping to turn around to face him once again.

"I'm not sure what your true intentions are for talking to me here. You're a mystery I can't truly figure out," said the redhead. "But for now, I thank you for the intel."

"You're welcome," she stated. "And by the way, I didn't decide to talk to you as a princess to a prince, or ninja to ninja for that matter. I spoke to you as one jinchuriki to another, and that's that."

 _From one jinchuriki to another? You think she's being honest?_

" _I'm not too sure"_ Gaara thought as he watched her leave, gracefully jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the palace. _"Only time will tell, but for now, I'll keep an eye on her."_

 _Of course you will . . ._

 **Please review!**


	14. Meeting on the Road

Chapter 14: Meeting on the Road

"Temari, are you sure you know where you're going?" Kankuro mumbled as they traversed the rooftops, making their way toward the eastern part of the village. "How are you so sure that this is the way to the noble district?"

"Because I asked the clerk at the information desk before we left," Temari mumbled as the two came to a stop on top of a weapons' shop, the street below starting to come alive with activity. "That's how I know Kankuro. . . I know we're ninjas, but it doesn't hurt to ask questions occasionally."

"Ok, you have me there. Anyway, how much longer before we get to the district?"

"It shouldn't be long now. However, the receptionist said that the entrance isn't as obvious as you'd think it would be." the crown princess mumbled as she walked over to the building's edge and dropped down to the street. Kankuro quickly followed suit. No one on the street batted an eye at them, chalking it up to ninjas just being ninjas.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it isn't going to be advertised by a traditional red arch with a sign saying, "Noble District" in big kanji right at the top," Temari mumbled as she looked down the street. "The neighborhood blends in with the rest of them. Nothing really sticks out unless you go deeper into the area. It's supposed to start with pretty regular looking buildings before switching to more opulent homes."

"So, we could have possibly crossed into the district without even realizing it?" Kankuro asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Well that's nice . . ."

"What would be even better is if we actually knew where our competition exactly lived at," the blonde mumbled as she adjusted the fan that was strapped to her back. "Any clue at all would be nice."

"What? You didn't ask the receptionist where your opponent lived?" Kankuro couldn't help but ask, his voice slightly teasing. "Come on sis. I'm sure it shouldn't have been too hard, especially for someone like yourself. You're the Crown Princess of the Wind Kingdom for crying out loud! It should have been a simple question: 'Excuse me miss, you wouldn't happen to know where the Naras live do you?'"

Kankuro's voice became a bad imitation of Temari's before he fell into a chuckle fit that caught the attention of some nearby onlookers. Somehow, his sister managed to hold back her anger, refusing the urge to grab hold of her fan and smack him in the head with it. Instead, she turned away and looked down the street, her eyes widening slightly when she saw too familiar figures heading their way.

"Kankuro, mind being less annoying for a quick second?!" she asked as she sent a swift elbow into his gut. "We have company coming!"

"One: the elbow strike was not needed. And two: who the hell is coming this way?" the puppeteer grumbled as he rubbed the sore spot on his stomach, glaring at his sister the entire time. Temari took hold of his head by the chin and turned his gaze toward what she was looking at so he could see for himself, his eyes widening as well. "Huh, well that's convenient."

"I'll say," said Temari as the two watched as Haruka Nekonome and Nanami Otoribashi, Princess Shizuka's teammates, stopped to look at a few items in a clothing store's window. "We're trying to find our competition, and here we are, feet away from two of them right now."

"It doesn't look like they've spotted us just yet." the wind mistress mumbled as she noticed the alley just a little down the road.

"You think we should hide out in that alley?" Kankuro asked, quickly realizing what his sister was thinking once he saw what she was looking at.

"It wouldn't do us any good. Like Baki said during the preliminaries: Haruka's clan has a long-standing partnership with ninja cats that's like the partnership the Inuzukas have with their ninja hounds. It's not hard to think that enhanced smell was part of the deal. Once she gets a whiff of us, it's all over."

"Not unless we hide ourselves well." Kankuro suggested as he adjusted the puppet strapped to his back.

"It's too bad we already see you though."

The two siblings whipped their heads around to see Haruka and Nanami standing right behind them. Haruka had a rather annoyed look on her face, while Nanami looked slightly amused. Neither were dressed in their ninja gear, with Haruka wearing a dark blue tracksuit with the jacket open to reveal the gray t-shirt we wore underneath, and Nanami wearing a traditional green kimono top and black skirt, her lavender hair pinned back with oval shaped clips.

"You guys don't wait that long to start spying on others, do you?" Haruka mumbled as she put her brown locks into a high ponytail. "Like seriously, we just finished the preliminaries _yesterday_!"

"We have a month to spy on each other and prepare for the finals, but I guess you Suna ninjas couldn't wait to get started." Nanami added as she adjusted her glasses.

"And what makes you think we were trying to spy on you guys?" Kankuro asked, mainly to save face.

"You're both dressed in your gear from yesterday, you have your main weapons with you, and we spotted you jumping from rooftop to rooftop looking around as if you were searching for something while we were walking here," Haruka stated matter-of-factly as she listed them off with her fingers. "Need I go on?"

"Ok, when you put it that way, you have us there," Kankuro mumbled, conceding to her point, much to his sister's chagrin. "But can you blame us?"

"Honestly? Not really," Haruka mumbled as she crossed her arms. "You're simply seeking an advantage. I can't blame you for that, especially since you face me in the finals first."

"Hey, I don't need to seek an advantage against you!" Kankuro grumbled as he shot daggers Haruka's way, but she appeared unperturbed. She seemed amused by his reaction.

"You're a puppeteer. That alone puts you at a disadvantage against her." said Nanami, looking slightly unimpressed. "Puppeteers like yourself are usually known for being long-range fighters, and taijutsu is usually your weakest area. If she gets anywhere close to you, well, it wouldn't be good for your health."

"Well, you're not wrong." Temari mumbled, gaining an annoyed look from her younger sibling. "What? I'm not going to speak against something when it's a good point Kankuro. You know taijutsu is an area you should improve on."

"Mind not stating my weakness to my future opponent?!"

"Can you really consider this particular weakness of yours an actual secret when it's considered a known stereotype that all puppeteers face?" Nanami asked, her tone inquisitive as she raised an eyebrow. "We were basically assuming that taijutsu is your worst area to this point. You could have been a taijutsu ace for all we knew. Your performance in the preliminaries started to confirm that you weren't, and then now hearing you say that taijutsu is your worst area only cements our assumptions."

"Thanks for the confirmation." Haruka added, her smile bordering on mocking. Temari shook her head before turning to her brother, whose face was bordering on comedic. His eyes were cartoonish, bug-eyed even, and his mouth was open as wide as it could possibly go. Not a sound was heard from him, and for a second, Temari thought her brother forgot to breathe. "Um, is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Temari bluntly stated, not because she was frustrated with how easily they deduced Kankuro's weakness, but because Kankuro was reacting so comically to the situation. "He's acting unbecoming of his royal status right now, but he'll be fine."

"Maybe you should cut him some slack," suggested Haruka. "I bet it's not every day that a prince such as himself can get away with pulling a face as funny as this one and not be criticized for it, especially not by those who _live_ the royal court lifestyle."

"Good point," Temari mumbled as brought a hand to her chin. "I guess you guys know a thing or two about royal politics huh. . ."

"Well you have to when your teammate is the reigning princess of the kingdom," Nanami mumbled. "Plus, we also serve as some of her official ladies-in-waiting, so there's that too."

"Wait, you guys do the whole lady-in-waiting thing here?" Kankuro asked, his face no longer a mask of shock.

"Um, yeah. It's a part of royal tradition." Haruka mumbled. "Last time I checked, all the kingdoms followed this protocol."

"Well, at the moment, the Wind Kingdom hasn't been following it," Temari grumbled as she looked at her nails. "My father has started to get on my case about it, but I'm nowhere close in naming any ladies-in-waiting. The Wind royal court is more like a pit of vipers these days."

"There's no one you can trust there. Noble families will only put up their daughters for nomination because they want to gain an advantage with your father, a closer connection at least," Haruka understandably stated as she cracked her knuckles. "The ambitious ones are always the worst."

"Tell me about it . . ." Temari mumbled as she noticed Nanami walking off to the weapons shop. "Where's she going?"

"To pick up her order from the shop," said Haruka as Nanami walked inside. "It's why we came out this way in the first place. It's one of the best shops in the village, but if you're thinking about going in there to make a purchase, tread carefully, especially you Temari."

"And why would you say that?" the princess asked, not really offended, but slightly curious.

"This shop is owned by TenTen's family. She's the one you beat in the preliminaries, but it's not really her that you should be worried about. She's not one for holding grudges. Her parents on the other hand . . ."

"Yeah, I think I get the idea. Thanks for the warning though." said Temari as Haruka started walking after her teammate.

"Anytime, oh and Kankuro. If I catch you trying to spy on me, I will make sure you live to regret it. I will not hesitate to dismantle every single puppet you have on you to the smallest splinter . . . Have a good day."

"I suddenly felt a chill go down my spine." Kankuro mumbled quietly as he watched Haruka walk into the shop with a wary expression on his face. "If she's capable of following through with her threat, it may not be worth it to spy on her."

"You may never know. She could be saying that just to throw you off her trail." Temari mumbled as she started walking down the street. "Come on. It would do us no good to spy on them at this point. We'll have to wait till the time is right. Let's just look around for now."

"Shouldn't we be looking for our other competition though?" her brother bluntly asked as he watched her walk away.

"We have a good month to see what the other competitors have in store for the finals. It's not an immediate thing that we need to do, no matter how much Baki thinks otherwise." said Temari as she continued to move on. "You can go spy on people if you like, but you know what? I'm going to go exploring for now, see what this village really has to offer. You're welcome to join me if you like."

"Well, you do make a convincing argument . . ." said the puppeteer as he followed her. As the two made their way down the street, Haruka and Nanami stepped back out of the shop, a small brown package now in Nanami's hands.

"Hmm, those two seem nice enough, but a little tough around the edges don't you think?" Nanami asked as she watched them disappear into the crowd.

"I chalk that up to their upbringing. The desert is a hard place to live in after all," Haruka mumbled as she started walking toward the palace. "C'mon, I'm sure Shizuka would love to know what we found out about them."

"Definitely; let's go . . ." said Nanami, nodding her head in the affirmative. Haruka did the same, and soon enough, the two were gone, running up the side of the building to jump along the rooftops.

 **Please review!**


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